Censorship in Brazil

Censorship in Brazil, both cultural and political, occurred throughout the whole period following the colonization of the country. Even though most state censorship ended just before the period of redemocratization that started in 1974, Brazil still experiences a small amount of non-official censorship today. The current legislation restricts freedom of expression concerning racism (Paim Law) and the Constitution prohibits the anonymity of journalists, although freedom of speech is enforced.

In 1986, during Brazil's military dictatorship, the federal government banned Jean-Luc Godard's 1985 film Hail Mary, claiming that it was an insult to the Christian faith (although the State was officially secular). Singer Roberto Carlos, a devout Catholic, deliberately damaged his image with liberal sectors of Brazilian society when he supported the ban by the José Sarney administration. With the new Brazilian Constitution and redemocratization of the country, in the 1990s, the film was made available again.

In 1994, just a day before the premiere of the British documentary Beyond Citizen Kane at the Rio de Janeiro Modern Art Museum, the Military Police confiscated the copy of the film, obeying a court warrant. The film takes a critical approach towards the establishment of Rede Globo, the largest television broadcaster in the country, explaining its ties to the military dictatorship. On 20 August 2009, the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported that Rede Record bought the broadcasting rights to the documentary. This happened after a series of mutual attacks between Globo and Rede Record because of an investigation conducted by the Public Ministry against. The network is waiting official authorization of the Justice system to broadcast the film.

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