"Journalist José Fernandes Linhares Júnior, editor of Blog do Linhares, was sentenced to two years and 15 days in prison for insulting and defaming former Maranhão Gov. Flávio Dino [who now serves as a Supreme Court Justice in Brazil]. The sentence was handed down on July 21 by the Sixth Criminal Court of São Luís.
The sentence, which was initially to be served under an open-regime arrangement, was replaced with community service. Because the decision was issued by a lower court and can be appealed, the journalist may appeal the ruling before the Maranhão Court of Justice (TJMA) while remaining free.
The case began after a post published on June 13, 2021, on the 'blogdolinhares account on X (formerly Twitter) during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. At the time, the journalist referred to Flávio Dino as a 'vagabond governor.'
In the same post, Linhares alleged that the then-governor was taking credit for the vaccination campaign in São Luís. According to the post, the doses had been purchased by the federal government under the administration of Jair Bolsonaro and administered by the city government."
