The president of the chamber, Hugo Motta, has asked the court to remove billboards highlighting his vote for Blindagem PEC, spread across the cities of Paraíba.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hugo Motta (Republicans), filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court in Paraíba requesting the removal of the billboards spread throughout the city in the context of the proposed constitutional amendment. (PEC) from BlindagemBut his request was rejected.
The decision was issued by the Fourth Federal Court of Justice, and ruled by Federal Judge Vinicius Costa Vidor. In the order, the judge also scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, the 27th of this month, bringing together the parties concerned, but there was no reconciliation between them.
The billboards displayed images of Hugo Motta accompanied by phrases such as “They voted yes to protect politicians who committed crimes” and “The people will not forget this,” as well as the logo of the Federal Workers’ Union for Basic, Vocational and Technological Education of Paraíba (Sintef-PB).
“The attempt to silence demonstrations reveals the fear of public debate,” Sintef-PB said on social media. “But we remain steadfast: demonstrating is not a crime, it is a constitutional right, and no one will restrict the voice of the people.”
Mota’s defence, conducted by lawyers for the House of Representatives, argued that the billboards violated the limits of free speech and could be defamatory.
But the judge highlighted that Mota, as a public figure holding a public office, is more vulnerable to criticism, and that the article does not constitute defamatory intent, being merely an explicit criticism of a legislative proposal and the conduct of the Chamber President while processing it.
The contents were spread in the cities of Campina Grande and Cajazeras, in the Sertão, and included the names of other deputies from Paraíba.
The report contacted the Legal Department of the House of Representatives, but did not receive a response until it was published. The channel remains open. The billboards have already been removed from circulation.