The First Panel of the Federal Supreme Court will judge, from March 6th, a complaint filed against pastor Silas Malafais for slander and insults in offenses made to generals who are part of the Army’s High Command.
The date was set by minister Flávio Dino, who is part of the group. In addition to him, ministers Cristiano Zanin, Cármen Lúcia and the case rapporteur, the .
The case began with a representation sent by the Army commander, General Tomás Paiva, after Malafaia directed insults at the High Command of the Force in April 2025 during a demonstration held on Avenida Paulista, in São Paulo. The complaint was presented to the STF by the Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet, in December.
At the time, Malafaia took to the streets to defend amnesty for those involved in the coup acts of January 8, 2023. During his speech, the pastor called Army generals “lax” and “cowards”.
“Where are these 4-star generals from the Army’s High Command? Bunch of weaklings, bunch of cowards, omissions! You don’t honor the uniform you wear. It’s not to launch a coup, it’s to make a point”, said Malafaia without directly mentioning the names of the generals.
In the complaint signed by Gonet, Malafaia allegedly insulted high-ranking generals, in addition to attributing to the agents the practice of malfeasance by calling them negligent.
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What Malafaia’s defense says
To the Supreme Court, Silas Malafaia’s lawyers deny that the pastor offended the military, but rather criticized the officers in a generic way, “not targeting a specific person or identifying anyone”.
The lawyers also maintain that the criticism was not directed at the Army itself, but at some general officers without mentioning names.
