Daniel Silveira

Daniel Silveira, former federal congressman from Rio de Janeiro, was arrested in February 2021 on orders from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes after posting a video on social media criticizing STF justices and calling for the closure of the court and the reinstatement of the AI-5 dictatorial decree. The STF sentenced him to 8 years and 9 months in prison for inciting a subversion of the constitutional order. In April 2022, President Jair Bolsonaro granted Silveira a presidential pardon before the sentence became final — an unprecedented act that sharpened the conflict between the Executive and Judiciary. The STF rejected the pardon and upheld the conviction. Free speech advocates cite this case as a landmark example of political speech being criminalized in Brazil.