National Laws on Blasphemy: Brazil
In Brazil, defamation of religion is illegal under Article 208 of the Penal Code;
specifically, the code prohibits public vilification of any religious act or object of
religious worship, punishable by a fine or incarceration up to a year. Another law further
proscribes the exhibiting of racism or religious intolerance, with punishments ranging
up to five years in prison. Most allegations of religious bigotry come from minority
faith groups, particularly Afro-Brazilian religions such as Candomblé, making Brazil’s
blasphemy (or, more accurately in this case, defamation of religion) laws a safeguard
for minority communities, though the laws are equally available to the Roman Catholic
majority should they have need to utilize them. Acts for which Brazilians have been
charged under these laws include vandalizing a religious building, publishing online
videos intended to incite violence against followers of Afro-Brazilian faiths, and
ridiculing the religious garb of a Muslim woman.
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