Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Zanin Orders Damages for Misogynistic Hazing at University of Franca

Overview

• Cristiano Zanin of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court ruled Monday to condemn ex-student Matheus Gabriel Braia, setting damages at 40 minimum wages.
• The payment will go to São Paulo’s State Fund for Diffuse Interests harmed by collective rights violations.
• Zanin rejected the idea that the hazing was a joke, calling it psychological violence that spread online beyond the campus.
• Prosecutors said Braia wrote a pledge that made female freshmen vow to be at veterans’ disposal and never refuse sex during a 2019 event at the University of Franca.
• The decision reverses earlier acquittals in lower courts, allows appeal, and reporters had not obtained a response from Braia’s defense at publication.