Former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) used his official account to publish posts criticizing the blocking of the platform in Brazil.
The social network has been blocked in the country since August 30th. However, this Wednesday (18).
“I congratulate everyone for the pressure they put in motion in the defense of democracy in Brazil. Giving up is not an option and you are the ones who nurture a prosperous future for our country. In recent days, Brazilians have witnessed events that shed even more light on the serious setbacks to freedom in Brazil,” he wrote.
Without citing Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Bolsonaro stated that the decision to block X was “prior censorship, a practice prohibited by the Constitution and a serious violation of fundamental rights”.
“OX was banned for challenging court decisions that required not only the occasional removal of posts, but the permanent deletion of profiles. This is prior censorship, a practice prohibited by the Constitution and a serious violation of fundamental rights. Worse: by banning the largest social network in the country, it was not a company that was punished, but millions of Brazilians, deprived of free access to information and the right to express themselves”, he added.
The former president also cites other episodes. According to him, “the same minister” censored Folha de S.Paulo, preventing it from publishing an interview with Filipe Martins, who was imprisoned for more than 6 months without trial on the grounds of having taken a trip with Bolsonaro at the end of the mandate. “The same minister turned a banal discussion about an airport queue into an ‘attack on democracy’, making an orderly and law-abiding family part of an inquiry without any legal justification,” he added.
Bolsonaro also highlighted that Starlink, another company owned by South African businessman Elon Musk, “was arbitrarily punished” and stated that the courts acted selectively.
Return without explanation
X users in Brazil reported having this Wednesday morning (18). It was also possible to access the platform on STF computers, connected to the internet via network cable. When contacted, the Supreme Court said it would not comment on the matter.
The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) stated that it did not receive any court order to release access to X. In a statement, the agency stated that there was no change to the suspension decision and that it is checking improper access to the network. Therefore, no unlocking was performed.
