I wrote recently about worrying threats to press freedom in Brazil. Here's another example. A paper is facing closure after being ordered by a court to pay $353,000 (£220,000) for "moral damages" to an former mayor.
The Jornal de Londrina, in Paraná state, has petitioned the supreme court to suspend the ruling.
In 1994, the paper published reports accusing the then mayor of Sertanópolis of improper administration. The mayor was later convicted on several counts.
Even so, a Paraná state court has ruled that the newspaper must pay "moral damages" because its reports were "published prematurely."
Source: Knight Centre In Portuguese: Supremo Tribunal Federal
