Two days after journalists were expelled from the plenary session in the middle of the episode in which Glauber Braga (PSOL-RJ) occupied the Board of Directors, the Chamber published a note on Thursday in which it “regrets the inconvenience” caused to the press, but holds the deputy fully responsible for the collapse of the work.
The episode occurred the day before the session which suspended the parliamentarian’s mandate for six months. On Tuesday, Glauber’s protest paralyzed the work of the House for about an hour, led to the cutting of TV Câmara’s signal and led to the expulsion of communications professionals.
The note returns to the chronology of the session, specifying that Glauber “triggered an anti-regimental demonstration and declared that he would not leave the presidency of the board of directors”, which, according to the presidency, made the continuation of the work “impossible”.
According to the Chamber, the sudden suspension of the session took place at 5:42 p.m., when the First Secretary formalized the determination of Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB). The note states: “Given the impossibility of continuing the work, the President of the House ordered the immediate suspension of the session. »
Concerning the simultaneous interruption of the broadcast of TV Câmara, the note states that, according to a 2022 service decree, “the interruption of a plenary session automatically results in the broadcast of the following legislative event”, in this case the meeting of the Health Commission.
The change in schedule, however, prevented journalists from following what was happening, as professionals were forced to leave the plenary.
Regarding the withdrawal of the press, the Chamber specifies that the Legislative Police acted “in accordance with Office Law No. 145/2020”, which allows the plenary to be emptied to “guarantee the safety of those present”. The professionals said they pushed and prevented Glauber from recording his takedown.
However, the Chamber affirms that “there was no intention to limit the exercise of journalistic activity”.
Associations linked to the press “vehemently” condemned the reduction in the work of journalists who covered the press. In a press release, the organizations affirm that the obstruction of work and the cutting of the TV Câmara signal “are incompatible with the exercise of freedom of the press”.
The note is signed by the Brazilian Associations of Radio and Television Broadcasters (ABERT), the National Association of Magazine Editors (ANER) and the National Association of Newspapers (ANJ).
“ANJ, ABERT and ANER await the determination of responsibilities so that such intimidation practices do not recur and that the principles of the Brazilian Constitution, which explicitly prohibits censorship, are preserved,” they say.
About The Author
