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Brazil high court rules press censorship law unconstitutional

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Brazilian Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a law restricting the press as unconstitutional. The court ruled 7-4 that the Press Law, which was enacted in 1967 and allowed for censorship of news media, books, and other forms of communication, is incompatible with the Brazilian Constitution. The law was enacted while the country was under military rule but has not been regularly enforced since the country returned to democratic rule in 1988. Thursday's ruling completely repealed the law. Although Brazil is South America's largest media market, in 2007, the International Press Institute called Brazil "one of the most dangerous countries in the Western Hemisphere in which to practice journalism" because of the threats and violence facing investigative reporters. In 2006, Reporters Without Borders said that local media in Brazil experiences less press freedom than national media because of an "unacceptable degree of violence as well as harassment and abuse of power by local officials."

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on May 01, 2009 (boomark / email).