The defense of blogger Luís Pablo Conceição Almeida, whose house was ordered by the minister of the (Supreme Federal Court), stated that he views the entire investigation with surprise and states that the real objective of the investigation was to “identify” journalistic sources.
The warrant was authorized as part of an investigation against the blogger for the alleged crime of persecuting a STF minister.
At the end of last year, Luís Pablo published on his website a text about an official car from the Maranhão Court of Justice that was being used irregularly, for private purposes, by his family.
“The allegation of stalking is to cover up the real objective, which is to identify the journalist’s source. I have no doubt whatsoever. This is a scandal. An abuse,” said lawyer Marcos Lobo in an interview with Sheet this Thursday (12).
“Constitutionally, and in all treaties and conventions ratified by Brazil, in all international standards, all protect the journalist’s source.”
Two cell phones, a MacBook and a HD were taken from Luís Pablo’s house, according to the defense.
When justifying the warrant, Minister Alexandre de Moraes cites three links from the website and states that the information about the official vehicle and the photos published would indicate, according to the PF, that the author of the publication “made use of some state mechanism to identify and characterize the vehicles used”.
“The evidence indicates that the person being investigated is violating the individual and personal freedom of the minister, using access to sensitive information, including the leak of this data, with evidence of monitoring, surveillance, and monitoring of the vehicle used by minister Flávio Dino, also evidencing the conduct of persecution”, continues Moraes.
Luís Pablo’s lawyer also stated that he does not understand the criminal classification defined by the STF, the alleged crime of persecution. “Because stalking is someone who insists on having access to someone. The framework is also complicated”, he comments.
Marcos Lobo also criticized the fact that the case was being processed confidentially. “Pablo found out that he was being investigated when the PF arrived at his house, on Tuesday. A process of this nature is being processed in secret? What is the Supreme Court trying to hide?”, he stated.
Another point questioned by the defense is related to the competent forum for the case. “Why is it in the STF [e não na primeira instância]? This is another arbitrariness”, commented Lobo, about the fact that Luís Pablo does not have a special forum in the court.
In a note, the STF stated that Dino’s institutional security was alerted in 2025 of an illegal monitoring procedure for his movements in .
“There was publication of license plates of vehicles used by the minister, number of agents and names of security agents, and other details. This material was sent to the Federal Police and the Attorney General’s Office, followed by the initiation of the appropriate investigative procedure. Therefore, the issue under investigation derives from the need to investigate the aforementioned illegal monitoring of the minister’s security procedures,” the court said in the statement.
When contacted, the court did not specifically comment on the defense’s criticisms.
The matter was discussed in the Legislative Assembly of Maranhão this Thursday. State deputy Dr. Yglésio () went to the stand to criticize the measure against the blogger.
“A person in public life wanting to consider themselves untouchable and wanting to use the public judicial apparatus to exempt themselves from popular scrutiny is something that only dictators can do,” said the deputy.
The Commission for the Defense of Freedom of Expression and the Press of the (Brazilian Bar Association) in Maranhão said it is following the case and draws attention to “the need to comply with the constitutional text regarding the preservation of source secrecy and protection of the free exercise of professional activity”.
Luís Pablo’s Blog has existed since 2011. According to the author, it is one of the independent vehicles with the largest audience in Maranhão, operating in political and investigative coverage.
Luís Pablo states that it supports itself mainly through advertising, with banner spaces for advertisements and institutional advertising.
