Brazil Justice Ministry launches working group to monitor violence against journalists in 2026 elections

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), through the National Justice Secretariat (Senajus), held the first meeting of the Electoral Working Group of the Observatory on Violence against Journalists and Social Communicators on 24 April. The group, created in 2023, will monitor and prevent violations against press professionals during the 2026 general elections, producing diagnostics, systematizing reports, and issuing institutional recommendations.

Members include federal government representatives, civil‑society groups, and invited institutions such as the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the National Justice Council (CNJ), the Federal Public Defender's Office (DPU) and the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF). The TSE will contribute a data panel on political violence. Complaints can be filed via the government platform Fala.Br, which records incidents of physical, digital, judicial or symbolic aggression against journalists.

National Justice Secretary Maria Rosa Loula emphasized that protecting journalists “is protecting democracy,” noting that the electoral period intensifies threats to the free flow of information.