Portuguese journalist was questioned at the airport about vaccines and STF

Portuguese journalist Sérgio Tavares, who was temporarily detained at Guarulhos Airport this Sunday morning (25), was outraged by the attitude of the Federal Police. Tavares came to Brazil to participate in the demonstration called by former president Jair Bolsonaro on Avenida Paulista, in São Paulo and had his passport seized by the PF.

“It was crazy. What is the justification for a European, Portuguese citizen who came here to show democracy to spend four hours being questioned about Flávio Dino, about Alexandre de Moraes, about vaccines, about the dictatorship of the Judiciary?”, he asked in an interview to columnist Cristina Graeml from People’s Gazetteduring the demonstration.

According to the journalist, the episode demonstrates the authorities’ concern that the world knows “what is happening in this country”. “And I guarantee that the world will know. I won’t say it here, but I will say it when I get there. Because there I have freedom of expression,” he said.

The matter gained international repercussion. Left-wing American journalist Glen Greenwald reported Tavares’ arrest on his X (formerly Twitter) profile, stating that the Portuguese had interviewed Bolsonaro a few days ago. The former president criticized the lack of freedom of expression in Brazil during the interview.

On Avenida Paulista, Tavares said he has no doubt that the attitude will have consequences. “I’m going to say name by name, word by word. Impunity is over. And everyone will be punished, even if it’s in ten years, twenty or thirty years. Or even if it’s by divine judgment”, he added.

“I will guarantee that Europe and the world will know the truth about Brazil. The world will know that you need freedom”, said Tavares.

In Portugal, the National Democratic Alternative (ADN) party called for the immediate intervention of the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the Embassy of Portugal in Brazil against what it considered a “fascist persecution of an extreme left that supports President Lula ”.