Constantino Case Is Closed, but He Says Justice Was Not Served

Constantino Case Is Closed, but He Says Justice Was Not Served
Brazil Supreme Court President Edson Fachin has definitively closed an investigation into journalist Rodrigo Constantino after accepting the Prosecutor-General’s Office assessment that the alleged offense was time-barred. The decision also revoked the cancellation of Constantino’s passport and lifted secrecy over the case.

The inquiry stemmed from social-media posts made in late 2022 that were deemed offensive to the Supreme Federal Court and the Superior Electoral Court. Authorities examined whether the posts amounted to incitement against the constitutional branches of government through the Armed Forces. During the investigation, Constantino faced measures including blocked accounts, access to communications data and cancellation of his passport; restrictions on his social-media accounts were later removed.

The Prosecutor-General’s Office concluded that the offense under review carried a maximum penalty of six months’ detention or a fine, making the applicable limitation period three years. Because the posts dated to 2022 and no legal event interrupted the clock, the deadline expired in December 2025, according to reporting on the decision.

Fachin’s ruling therefore eliminates the possibility of punishment in this proceeding. From the court’s legal perspective, the passport restriction no longer had a basis once the case was archived.

Constantino, however, distinguished between the practical outcome and what he considers a just resolution. He said the closure brought “a certain relief,” but argued that it should have included annulment of the case and recognition of his innocence. “There was not, in fact, justice,” he said.

He also described personal costs from the passport restriction, saying he had been treated “for more than four years as a criminal” and missed family events abroad. Despite the document’s restoration, Constantino said he did not yet feel comfortable returning to Brazil and that his legal team would review the full case file for possible remaining issues.

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