Flávio Bolsonaro sues congressman Janones for defamation on Instagram

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has taken legal action against Congressman André Janones, filing a criminal complaint with the Supreme Federal Court over alleged defamation. Bolsonaro's legal team accuses Janones of injúria, a form of insult, citing five specific Instagram posts made between March and June.

In these posts, Janones allegedly used derogatory terms such as “vagabundo” (vagabond), “idiota” (idiot), “babaca” (jerk), and “verme” (vermin) when criticizing Bolsonaro. One post from March 25th, Janones declared his intention to "lower the level," "make a scene," and "be sensationalist" against Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro's lawyers argue these statements go beyond legitimate political critique and demonstrate a clear intent to harm the senator's reputation.

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Further evidence cited includes a video from April 12th where Janones repeatedly insulted Bolsonaro while commenting on a publication about hunger during the current Lula administration. Another video from April 15th called for followers to comment "soldado" (soldier) and announced "guerrilla training" to confront Bolsonaro. A June 2nd video, prompted by news of Bolsonaro's meeting with Donald Trump, stated Janones would travel to the United States to "show the whole country what these bandits, vagabonds, are doing against the Brazilian people."

Bolsonaro's defense contends that Janones's conduct is not protected by parliamentary immunity or freedom of expression, as it constitutes a pattern of behavior with the sole purpose of damaging the senator's reputation. The complaint requests conviction for five counts of injúria, with aggravated penalties due to the crimes being committed against a public official and via social media. The defense also seeks a minimum of R$20,000 (approximately $3,700 USD) in moral damages, to be donated to a charity.

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