Minas Gerais court upholds conviction of nephews for homophobic assault

The Court of Justice of Minas Gerais (TJMG) has upheld the conviction of two nephews who assaulted and discriminated against their aunt due to her sexual orientation. The incident occurred in January 2024 in a municipality in the Vale do Jequitinhonha region.

According to the court ruling, the suspects insulted and threatened the victim before attacking her with a motorcycle exhaust pipe. Each nephew has been ordered to pay R$ 5,000 in moral damages. The older nephew, who was 34 at the time, was also convicted of violating urgent protective measures that prohibited him from approaching the victim and her family.

The defendants argued they acted in self-defense, claiming the victim was intoxicated and had threatened them, but the judges rejected these arguments, citing the victim's