"The Supreme Federal Court decided this Friday, May 15, not to examine the merits of a lawsuit questioning the production of reports monitoring the social media accounts of lawmakers and journalists during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The lawsuit was filed in November 2020, when André Mendonça served as Minister of Justice under the Bolsonaro administration. The action was brought by the Green Party after reports by Época magazine revealed the existence of the documents. The party argues that the surveillance threatens freedom of expression and constitutes an abuse of authority.
Now a Justice of the Supreme Court, André Mendonça dissented from the report submitted by Justice Cármen Lúcia, holding that the Supreme Court lacked the jurisdiction to adjudicate the case. Mendonça’s vote was joined by the other members of the Court and prevailed over those of Justices Alexandre de Moraes, Luís Roberto Barroso and Rosa Weber. Flávio Dino did not vote, as he assumed Weber’s seat after the trial had already commenced.
According to reports from the time, at least 116 lawmakers and 81 journalists and influencers had their social media accounts monitored at the request of the Secretariat of Government and the Special Secretariat for Social Communication of the Presidency between February and April 2020. This monitoring activity was reportedly documented in daily bulletins delivered to the agencies."
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This text was translated with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Teresa Mioli.
