AN ATTACK ON FREEDOM ON BOLSONARO’S BIRTHDAY 

Today, March 21, 2025, as Jair Bolsonaro turns 70, Brazil witnesses a blow to freedom that cannot be ignored. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes chose this symbolic date to vote for the conviction of Débora Rodrigues dos Santos, a mother of two young children, sentencing her to 14 years in prison. Her "crime"? Writing "You lost, sucker" in lipstick on the Justice statue outside the Supreme Court during the January 8, 2023 protests – words originally spoken by Justice Luís Roberto Barroso in 2022 to a Brazilian in the U.S. questioning the elections.

Débora, a hairdresser with no criminal record, didn’t harm anyone or destroy anything beyond a scribble that could be easily cleaned. Yet, for over two years, she’s been imprisoned, separated from her children, and now faces an inhumane 14-year sentence, plus an outrageous R$30 million fine for "collective moral damages" proposed by Moraes. 

What kind of justice is this? The timing – Bolsonaro’s birthday – feels like a political message: dissent will be crushed.

But Bolsonaro, in an exceptional display of humanity, refused to let this pass quietly. 

On the day he should have been celebrating his 70th birthday, he stopped everything to mourn Débora’s injustice and call the Brazilian people to action. On April 6, at 2 p.m., on Avenida Paulista, he urges everyone to join in defense of freedom and against this abuse. This is the mark of a true leader: putting a mother’s suffering above his own celebration.

The world must know. International human rights organizations – the UN, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch – must condemn this atrocity. Donald Trump, Bolsonaro’s ally and a global voice, and Elon Musk, a fierce defender of free speech, have the power to amplify this cause. Trump can rally international support, and Musk, with X, can spread this message worldwide.

Débora is not a criminal – she’s a victim of a system that punishes mothers and silences voices. On Bolsonaro’s birthday, Brazil doesn’t celebrate; it mourns its wounded democracy. Let Trump and Musk stand with us, let international organizations act, let the world see the April 6 rally as a cry for justice. Débora’s freedom, and ours, hangs in the balance.

@realDonaldTrump @elonmusk

 @UNHumanRights @amnesty

@hrw @jairbolsonaro @FLOTUS @DonaldJTrumpJr

 #FreeDebora, #JusticeForBrazil, #Bolsonaro70, #April6Rally. #AnistiaJá

Sérgio Júnior