A Rio de Janeiro court has found a Brazilian lawyer guilty of racism following his demands that Jewish individuals be removed from leadership roles at the Brazilian Lawyers Institute (IAB) and his call to shut down the local Jewish federation.
Heriberto de Miranda Jordão Filho received a two-year prison sentence on Wednesday under Brazil’s open prison regime. The court substituted the incarceration with community service, so he will not serve time behind bars, according to reporting by Folha de S.Paulo on Thursday. He has indicated he plans to appeal.
The case originated during a March 20, 2024, meeting of the institute, a professional legal association established in 1843 and regarded as one of the oldest legal institutions in the Americas.
Lawyer Demands Jewish Removal from Institute Leadership and Calls for Jewish Federation Shutdown
During the meeting, which was broadcast on YouTube, Jordão Filho read a letter demanding the removal of all Jews—both Zionist and non-Zionist—from the institute’s leadership and committee chairs. He contended that religious Jews had no place in the organization and called for their exclusion based solely on religious affiliation. The remarks provoked an outcry within the institute and across Brazil’s Jewish community.
In the same speech, he called for the shutdown of the Jewish Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FIERJ). The demand came after the federation filed a complaint against him with the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) regarding previous antisemitic statements.
Jordão Filho accused the federation of political, ideological, and religious persecution, describing it as an antidemocratic organization that included “fascists, evangelicals, and Bolsonaro supporters,” a reference to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. He also labeled Jews who opposed him as cowards and perpetrators of genocide, and likened Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip to Nazi crimes.
Brazil’s Jewish community forcefully condemned the remarks and called for action against him. Claudio Lottenberg, president of the Brazilian Jewish Confederation (CONIB), welcomed the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against Jordão Filho and noted that antisemitism has increased in Brazil and globally following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel.
Lottenberg urged a firm response and said the Jewish community expected a significant penalty for the hateful comments made by a member of the institute.
The institute also condemned the remarks and launched disciplinary proceedings against Jordão Filho. At the time, its president, Sydney Limeira Sanches, suspended his membership rights pending the outcome. The Brazilian Bar Association stated it would not permit antisemitism or other expressions of hatred to spread among the nation’s lawyers.
On April 16, 2024, prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro state charged Jordão Filho with racism. Prosecutor Alexandre Themistocles determined that the remarks crossed the line from political criticism into incitement to discrimination and harm against Jews based on their religion and ancestry.
Prosecutors emphasized that demanding the dismissal of Jewish officials from the institute based on their identity constituted incitement to racism and exceeded the free-speech protections guaranteed by Brazil’s constitution.
Court Rules Lawyer Exceeded Legitimate Political Criticism of Israel
In his ruling, Judge Paulo Roberto Sampaio Jangutta found that Jordão Filho had moved beyond legitimate political criticism of Israel by assigning negative traits to Jews and calling for their exclusion from positions within a professional institution based on their identity.
Alongside the prison sentence converted to community service, the judge imposed a fine calculated at 10 daily units and ordered Jordão Filho to pay 3,000 Brazilian reais (NIS 1,740) in compensation for collective moral harm.
The court also maintained restrictions requiring him to report to the court monthly, prohibiting contact with Jewish members of the institute, and limiting his online posts that mention Jews.
The Rio Jewish federation and the Brazilian Jewish Confederation participated in the proceedings in support of the prosecution. Jordão Filho said he intends to appeal the conviction.
Also Read
- Malaysian Palace Insists House Arrest Order for Former PM Najib Must Be Honored
- Kyiv Suffers Missile Strikes; Ukraine Advances Negotiations with Russia and the United States
- Overnight Russian Strikes Damage Kyiv Bridge and Energy Infrastructure, Five Injured
- Rubio Heads to France for First Post-Midterm Trip Amid Scrutiny of Trump Foreign Policy