Brazilian judge orders open‑regime imprisonment of journalist Luan Araújo over unpaid defamation fine to Carla Zambelli

Judge José Fernando Steinberg of São Paulo's Barra Funda Criminal Court sentenced journalist Luan Araújo to open‑regime imprisonment after he failed to pay a defamation indemnity of roughly R$ 2.2 thousand owed to former deputy Carla Zambelli. Araújo was condemned for defaming Zambelli in a post that described her as part of a “seita de doentes de extrema direita” and was acquitted of injuria.

The defamation case stems from an October 2022 incident in which Zambelli, then a federal deputy, brandished a revolver and chased Araújo through the streets and a snack bar in São Paulo, an event captured on video and widely reported. In August 2025 the Supreme Federal Court sentenced Zambelli to five years and three months for illegal firearm possession and illegal coercion. She fled to Italy, where an initial extradition order was later revoked by a Roman appellate court.