Antônio José Junqueira Vilela Filho sued Gregório Duvivier and HBO Brasil; he’s already been arrested on land grabbing charges
Gregório Duvivier and HBO Brazilprogram manager Greg News, they were convicted by the Justice of Saint Paul pay compensation of R$ 100,000 to rural entrepreneur Antônio José Junqueira Vilela Filhodefined as a ‘grileiro’ by the comedian in an episode of March 2022.
In the judgment, obtained by art Earththe rural entrepreneur says Gregório made “false, outdated and highly offensive statements […]treating him as a criminal, a logger, a land grabber, a slacker, a loan shark, an enemy of the countryside and the environment, owing a millionaire fine”.
Amid fines imposed by Ibama and charges of environmental crimes, Antônio José Junqueira Vilela Filho was arrested in 2016, appointed head of an illegal deforestation and land grabbing scheme in the interior of the state of Pará. He was investigated by Operation Rios Voadores, launched by the Federal Prosecutor, the Federal Police, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and the Federal Revenue.
What was said in Greg News?
The episode in question is In defense of agriculture, available on YouTube. In it, based on data and reports, Gregório criticizes the discourse that agribusiness is responsible for “putting food on the table” of the Brazilian people. Several politicians and businessmen are mentioned in the programme.
Read what Duvivier had to say about the entrepreneur:
- “Today, those who make real money from the countryside are people who are very far from the countryside. People like the man accused of being Brazil’s biggest land grabber. His name is Antônio José Junqueira Vilela Filho and he is accused of encroaching and deforesting the most of 300 square kilometers of Amazonia and sell to the oligarchy of the sector. Yes, because land grabbing exists only to feed this sector”.
- “Antônio José is better known as AJ Vilela. I like him a lot. He is a grileiro who likes to be called ‘Ajota’. Maybe he thinks he is better than ‘grileiro’. ? No! This millionaire plan, in your apartments in São Paolo. “
- “He was even accused of keeping workers in slavery-like conditions. AJ was even fined more than R$300 million but he just didn’t pay. Yes, Brazil has this wonderful figure who is at the same time ‘Ajota’ and slacker”.
What does the judge say?
Judge Gustavo Coube de Carvalho, who signed the sentence on the 14th, said that the comedian made statements in an accusatory and mocking tone, without relying on current news. “The charges and fines mentioned by the defendant [Gregório] they had all already been rejected or extinguished, which reveals that there was negligence or bad faith in their disclosure,” he adds.
HBO Brasil was also cited for commercially funding and broadcasting the program with ‘crimes’. Therefore, the company is appointed by the judge as responsible for compensation for any damages caused by the comedian’s conduct.
His decision is that “the crimes and criminal charges are clear”.
“The accused has freely exercised the right to inform and express his thoughts, guaranteed by articles 5, caput, IX, and 220, caput and §1, of the Federal Constitution. So much so that his program has been broadcast and remains available on Internet. Therefore, it is not a question of censorship or embarrassment of the freedom of information, but of responsibility for the unfair and harmful exercise of this freedom, since the news, and the comments that derive from it, have proved to be false, anachronistic or incomplete “.
What do Gregory and HBO say?
Gregório Duvivier’s defense claims that the program exercised its constitutional right to inform, entertain and express itself. Furthermore, he points out that the episode is nearly 30 minutes long, with Antônio José Junqueira Vilela Filho’s name only being mentioned for about a minute.
“At no point was any crime attributed to the perpetrator, only an indication that he was ‘investigated’ and ‘charged’ with crimes, which is true,” he points out.
Gregório Duvivier and HBO Brasil can still appeal the decision.
Source: Terra
I am Amanda Gans, a motivated and ambitious professional in the news writing industry. With over five years of experience in this field, I have developed an eye for detail and an ability to craft stories that captivate readers. I currently write for Gossipify, where I specialize in beauty & celebrities news. My passion lies with exploring the world of beauty through writing, interviewing experts and developing articles that are both informative and entertaining.
