Novo talks about censorship of Ratinho and calls on the Ethics Council against Erika Hilton

This Saturday (14), the Novo party filed a representation with the Council of Ethics and Parliamentary Decorum of the Chamber of Deputies asking for the opening of proceedings for breach of decorum against federal deputy Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP). One of the main points of the request is the parliamentarian’s reaction to statements made by presenter Carlos Roberto Massa, known as “Ratinho”.

The representation was sent to the Board of Directors of the Chamber and requests the investigation of the deputy’s conduct, with the possibility of applying sanctions provided for in the House’s Code of Ethics, which range from a warning to the loss of mandate, if the process is initiated and there is a decision to that effect.

The aforementioned episode occurred after Erika’s election as president of the Commission for the Defense of Women’s Rights of the Chamber of Deputies, on March 11. During a program shown by SBT, Ratinho criticized the parliamentarian’s choice for the position and stated that the role should be occupied by “a biological woman”.

After the statements, the deputy submitted a request to the Ministry of Communications requesting the suspension of the program for 30 days. Furthermore, it contacted the Federal Public Ministry to evaluate the possibility of a public civil action for moral damages, with a request for compensation of R$10 million.

In the representation, Novo declares that the parliamentarian’s initiative represents an attempt to restrict expressions of opinion. The text states that the parliamentarian had sought to “suspend the activities of the television program and seek punishment for having criticized the election”.

The document also argues that the case involves debate about freedom of expression and freedom of the press. According to the representation, “the manifestation of thought, creation, expression and information will not suffer any restrictions”, citing constitutional provisions on the subject.

If the representation is admitted, it will be up to the Ethics Council to initiate disciplinary proceedings to investigate the facts. At the end of the process, the panel will be able to recommend sanctions ranging from a warning to the revocation of the mandate, a decision that, in the latter case, needs to be confirmed by the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies.