By Adriana Prado
Lourival Rodrigues Moraes, a former city councilman of Pontes e Lacerda, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, was sentenced to one year in prison for threatening a journalist last June, according to TV Centro América.
Known by the name “Kirrarinha,” the ex-councilman slapped Márcia Pache, reporter for station TV Centro-Oeste, affiliate of the SBT network. Moraes' term of office was revoked in September 2010 for lack of decorum, added SBT.
Moraes assaulted the journalist in June after she tried to interview him about a lawsuit against him for invasion of property and misappropriation of the pension of a retiree. Moraes also kept tabs on her home and office, prompting her to file a complaint saying she felt threatened.
The initial attack was caught on video and is available here.
Other Related Headlines:
» Knight Center (Brazilian authorities confiscate television station's equipment)
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
