Overview
- The vice‑president of the Superior Electoral Court, André Mendonça, issued a preliminary injunction that found deputy Sóstenes Cavalcante’s video promoted electoral disinformation by suggesting the Workers’ Party received money from the PCC and Comando Vermelho.
- Mendonça said phrases like “há grandes suspeitas” act as a rhetorical formula that give the appearance of caution while preserving an unproven factual charge, and he applied a summary assessment to weigh free speech against the risk of misleading voters.
- Sóstenes says he complied with the court order and deleted the post within the 24‑hour deadline but publicly contested the ruling on Tuesday, June 23, by sending an ofício to the U.S. Embassy and requesting a public hearing in the Chamber’s Foreign Relations Committee.
- The injunction also bars republication or equivalent posts and will be reviewed by the TSE plenary, so the legal outcome and any formal precedent for handling third‑party or foreign‑government sourcing in campaign disputes remain unresolved.
- The case exposes political tensions between the PL and PT, raises questions about importing U.S. statements into Brazilian election disputes, and could influence how judges, politicians, and platforms handle borderline claims in the run‑up to the campaign season.