Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) First Panel will resume on Tuesday (April 28) the judgment on whether pastor Silas Malafaia will be made a defendant for slander and insult against the Army High Command. Malafaia's defense requested a postponement, arguing the panel is incomplete with only four justices. The case stems from criticisms Malafaia made during a rally in April 2025 on Avenida Paulista.
The STF's First Panel, presided over by Justice Cristiano Zanin, will resume the judgment that began in March in the virtual plenary. Rapporteur Alexandre de Moraes voted to accept the complaint from the Attorney General's Office (PGR), filed by Attorney General Paulo Gonet. Zanin requested prominence, moving the analysis to an in-person session.
In April 2025, during a rally on Avenida Paulista, Malafaia criticized Army High Command generals for alleged inaction regarding the arrest of former minister Walter Braga Netto. "Where are the four-star generals from the Army High Command? Bunch of wimps, bunch of cowards," he said from atop a sound truck. Army Commander General Tomás Miguel Miné Ribeiro Paiva approached the PGR, claiming offense to the officers' dignity.
Malafaia's defense, led by lawyer Jorge Vacite Neto, requested postponement on the eve of the session, noting the panel has only four members since October 2025, after Luiz Fux transferred to the Second Panel. The lawyers argue Malafaia lacks privileged forum, the statements were generic and protected by free speech, and he issued a formal retraction. "I have no forum. I speak generically. I don't single out anyone," the pastor stated.
Justices Cármen Lúcia and Flávio Dino are yet to vote. The PGR states there was intent to publicly embarrass the generals in their roles.
