Brazil mayor investigated for religious racism

In late July 2026 Brazil’s Federal Public Ministry (MPF) opened both civil and criminal investigations into Aurélio Ramos de Oliveira Neto, the mayor of Parauapebas in Pará state. The probe was triggered by a video the mayor posted on social media in which he kicked and scattered objects used in an Afro‑Brazilian religious ritual and made disparaging remarks about the practice.

The MPF said the mayor’s actions potentially breach the constitutional guarantee of freedom of conscience and belief, as interpreted by Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, and violate the Inter‑American Convention against Racism, to which Brazil is a party. The investigation also cites article 20 of law 7.716/1989, which criminalizes incitement to discrimination on religious grounds, and notes that public officials have an amplified capacity to influence society, increasing the severity of the alleged offense.

A follow‑up report on 3 August reiterated the same allegations and legal basis, emphasizing the possible penalties of two to five years’ imprisonment with aggravating factors because the conduct was carried out by a public official. No response from the mayor’s office was recorded in either report.