Rio Judge Convicts Lawyer of Racism Over Demands to Oust Jewish Leaders

A court in Rio de Janeiro ruled that a lawyer’s public demand to strip Jewish colleagues of leadership roles constituted racism, resulting in a prison sentence that will be served as community service. The verdict, handed down on Wednesday, resolves a dispute that began in March 2024 and involved one of the oldest legal institutions in the Americas. The lawyer, Heriberto de Miranda Jordão Filho, has indicated he plans to appeal the decision.

The conflict originated during a streamed meeting of the Brazilian Lawyers Institute, a professional association founded in 1843. On March 20, 2024, Jordão Filho read a letter calling for the removal of all Jews, regardless of their political stance, from the institute’s leadership and committee chairs. He argued that religious Jews should be excluded from the body due to their faith. In the same address, he urged the closure of the Jewish Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

The demand to shut down the federation followed a complaint the group filed with the Brazilian Bar Association over earlier antisemitic statements made by Jordão Filho. He characterized the federation as an antidemocratic organization plagued by political and religious persecution. He described its members as fascists, evangelicals, and supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro. He also labeled opposing Jews as cowards and likened Israel’s conduct in Gaza to Nazi crimes.

Prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro state charged Jordão Filho with racism on April 16, 2024. Prosecutor Alexandre Themistocles argued that the remarks went beyond political criticism to incite discrimination based on religion and ancestry. The prosecution maintained that demanding the dismissal of Jewish officials because of their identity exceeded the free speech protections found in Brazil’s constitution. The Rio Jewish federation and the Brazilian Jewish Confederation supported the prosecution in the proceedings.

Judge Paulo Roberto Sampaio Jangutta found that Jordão Filho had attributed negative traits to Jews and urged their exclusion from professional positions based on identity. The judge determined these actions exceeded legitimate political criticism of Israel. As part of the sentence, the court levied a fine calculated at 10 daily units. Jordão Filho was also ordered to pay 3,000 Brazilian reais, approximately 1,740 new Israeli shekels, in compensation for collective moral harm.

The two-year prison term falls under Brazil's open prison regime, which the court converted into community service, meaning Jordão Filho will not serve time behind bars. The court maintained restrictions requiring him to report to the court monthly and prohibiting contact with Jewish members of the institute. His online posts mentioning Jews are also limited. The Brazilian Bar Association stated it would not allow antisemitism to spread among the country’s lawyers.

The institute launched disciplinary proceedings following the incident. Its then-president, Sydney Limeira Sanches, suspended Jordão Filho’s membership rights during the process. Claudio Lottenberg, president of the Brazilian Jewish Confederation, welcomed the disciplinary actions. He noted that antisemitism has grown in Brazil and globally since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Lottenberg said the community expected a severe penalty for hateful speech from a member of the institute.