Arlouiv's Blog

Arnon Louiv on the free right to criticize any political regime, party, judiciary – be it democratic or authoritarian or dictatorship – or even a King and God Himself…

I recently had an hour-long conversation with Jane Silva, a supporter of the current Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and who actually works for a political party that supports him in Congress.

Like millions of Brazilians, I too, at some point was deceived into believing that the Worker’s Party of Brazil would finally right the injustice that is so blatantly flagrant in income distribution in Brazil, a country where the have and have nots displays the immense golf of social inequality. I was wrong. In fact, I may even have written in the past a column or two supporting the former president of Brazil Lula, who is now a convicted criminal, and again, I may also have written in favor of his successor Dilma Vana Rousseff. Truly, I did! How wrong I was!

But, it is never too late to right wrongs and get rid of our ingenuity. Now, I am sure that current president Jair Bolsonaro has good intentions, unfortunately, as the saying goes, the road to hell is full of good intentions. What counts in politics is the game of trickery and negotiation. And Bolsonaro should know better. It is time for him to have around him people like the Jacobs of the Bible. Masters of trickeries!

But, there is no justification for the Supreme Court of Brazil to arrest a journalist just because a journalist disagrees with the Supreme Justices or criticizes them. I am referring here specifically to journalist Oswaldo Eustaquio.

Now, as I told Jane Silva, I do not condone the offensive, foul language used by the critics of the Brazilian Supreme Court. We may be living in a jungle out there, but we are not predators like lions or hyenas in this lawless jungle, as if we were bent on eating the flesh of another human because we are hungry and need to satisfy our hunger for some political purpose.

That’s why, as a writer and filmmaker, I abhorred the foul and vicious and egregious language used by Sara Fernanda Gironimi (aka Sara Winter – what an evil choice of a nickname!), and I also do not approve when any journalist uses falsehood to portray falsity as facts. I do not know whether Oswaldo Eustaquio is guilty of this. But, I acknowledge that this despicable trait has showed up once too-often in reports nowadays, worldwide, and surely, it is just an utter example of human stupidity and journalists should not fall into this trap in the name of being antagonists of an ideology. Leave that battle for fictional theatrics.

But, like Voltaire, I defend anyone’s right to freely express himself/herself and as an unalienable right of all humans. No one should be taken into custody, especially when the accusation is not even materialized in a court of law. Where is the Brazilian OAB defending journalist Oswaldo Eustaquio?

Like Voltaire, I would die for this journalist’s right to freely express himself, just like I would side with other journalists, including Glenn Greenwald for his superb ability to publish news and investigative reports that we – all humans should be privy to. Unquestionably.

Free Oswaldo Eustaquio or make his accusation public so he can defend himself appropriately! Out in the light so we can know what is his crime.

The Supreme Court of Brazil was not elected by the suffrage of 57 million people. And just as I criticize Lula and Dilma and Aecio Neves and yes, Bolsonaro too, when he speaks nonsense, sometimes, I too now, must question the actions of the one Supreme Justice of Brazil, His Excellence Alexandre de Moraes. 

“Please Your Excellence, let us know what is the charge against journalist Oswaldo Eustaquio?”

I hope others join me in begging you for an answer!