Latest news and stories about defamation in Portugal for expats and residents.
Portuguese authorities have requested the lifting of the immunity of PS MEP Francisco Assis, the President of the European Parliament indicated this Thursday, in the context of a case in which he is accused of defamation by jurist Alexandre Guerreiro. At issue are statements made by Francisco Assis in March 2022, in which he considered that the jurist...
The MEP is accused of defamation by jurist Alexandre Guerreiro
Portuguese authorities have requested the lifting of the immunity of PS MEP Francisco Assis, the President of the European Parliament indicated today, in the context of a case in which he is accused of defamation by jurist Alexandre Guerreiro.
Portuguese authorities have requested the lifting of the immunity of PS MEP Francisco Assis, the President of the European Parliament announced on Thursday, March 26, in connection with a defamation case brought by jurist Alexandre Guerreiro. The case concerns statements made by Francisco Assis in March 2022, in which he claimed that jurist and television commentator Alexandre Guerreiro was disgracing the Portuguese state and should be removed from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. The current PS MEP, who was then president of the Economic and Social Council (CES), stated that Alexandre Guerreiro was a 'collaborator of the autocratic and criminal power installed in the Kremlin,' and therefore could not 'be associated with the nerve centre of Portuguese executive political power.' In response, Alexandre Guerreiro accused Francisco Assis of 'slander' on Facebook, stating the matter would be resolved in the appropriate forum. The request will now be reviewed by the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs before a recommendation is issued to the plenary.
In Europe, defamation is a crime in many member states, although prison sentences are rarely applied. However, the European trend is to decriminalise, restrict, or even abolish the criminal route. Opinion by Francisco Rui Cádima.
Without a chance to defend himself, director Ico Costa went from being a recognised winner at IndieLisboa and elsewhere to being labelled a woman abuser, with his films cancelled. It took only one accusation, signed with a woman's name. A woman whom no one has ever seen, with whom no one has spoken, and who, in reality, does not exist. The main suspect behind the false accusation is a man.
Mota-Engil has submitted a request to the court for the summary dismissal of the civil lawsuit brought against it by the American firm Muddy Waters, which seeks the conviction of the company and its CEO for defamation.
The court deemed the accusation “completely unfounded”. The criminal complaint resulted from articles regarding alleged financial ties between doctors and pharmaceutical companies during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The court considered the Public Prosecutor's accusation “totally unfounded”, deciding to acquit Pedro Vieira of the crimes he was charged with.
The director of the newspaper Página Um was acquitted today of the crime of defamation regarding texts related to Henrique Gouveia e Melo, as well as charges of slander, false advertising, and offending an organization concerning the Portuguese Medical Association.
In the proceedings for defamation, slander and false testimony, the Public Prosecutor's Office considers that 'sufficient indications of the commission of the reported crimes' were not found and that the procedure is 'legally inadmissible' because the deadline for filing a complaint had expired.
Luís Montenegro did not like content from the satirical page 'Volksvargas' and indicated there could be legal consequences for the creator of a montage featuring him and Donald Trump. Learn more about the 48-year-old designer.
The singer's comadre is being accused of “malicious defamation”.
Volksvargas was the target of a complaint. Disinformation itself is not punishable, but defamation or insult can be alleged. Factors that matter include the page's reach, whether it is presented as satire or uses a watermark, and how viewers perceive it.
The author of the social media post targeted by a complaint from the prime minister today denied any intention to spread disinformation, saying their account is 'a satire page'.
The prime minister condemns the false post that showed an alleged message sent to Donald Trump.
The presidential candidate says he would have liked to press ahead with the case before the end of the campaign, but the slow pace of the justice system could drag the matter out, and it may not even come to trial.
The candidate backed by IL rejects 'using conspiracy theories', but emphasises that the former aide who accuses him of harassment has links to the Government. He says a defamation complaint will be filed before the campaign ends.
The Chega MP told the court he did not know whether the 2021 post on X that led to this trial was made by him or by someone with access to his social media accounts.
The matter concerns a video posted on the social network X in 2021 by the Chega MP.
Chega MP Pedro Frazão denied today that he intended to defame the current coordinator of the Left Bloc, saying his Christian upbringing justified his use of the word “purity” in a social media post about harassment.
In 2021, MP Pedro Frazão published a video of a young woman who reported non-consensual sexual acts by a member of the Left Bloc, implying it was José Manuel Pureza, who was then vice-president of the Assembly of the Republic and is now the party's coordinator.
Frazão is accused of defaming Pureza in a 2021 Twitter post. In February 2022, the MP had already been convicted in court for “direct and unlawful” offences against Francisco Louçã.
The Committee on Transparency and Deputies' Statutes decided to authorise lifting the parliamentary immunity of the Chega MP.
