The sentence includes payment of compensation to the Fund for the Rights of Children and Adolescents.    Photo: UnoTV/Archive. 

The judge in charge of the case, Leonor Aguena, determined that Bolsonaro's statements exceeded the limits of freedom of expression.

Brasilia, July 27 (RHC)-- Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been convicted of sexualizing minors and inciting pedophilia, according to a ruling issued by the Federal District Court of Brasilia.

Authorities relied on public statements by the former right-wing president (2019-2022), in which he referred to a group of Venezuelan teenagers, between the ages of 14 and 15, showing attraction toward them and suggesting a visit to their home.

During an event in 2022, Bolsonaro stated that "I stopped my motorcycle on a corner, took off my helmet, and looked at some girls, three, four, pretty, 14, 15 years old, dressed up on a Saturday in a community.  I saw they looked good.  I set the mood, I came back. 'Can I come into your house?' I went in."

These words, considered by the Prosecutor's Office to normalize child abuse, marked the beginning of a judicial process that coincided with the presidential campaign of the same year.

The judge in charge of the case, Leonor Aguena, determined that these statements exceeded the limits of freedom of expression, calling them inadmissible because they came from a public figure who should act responsibly.

Although the first instance civil judge, Evandro Neiva de Amorim, initially dismissed the charges and rejected the request for compensation, the Prosecutor's Office filed an appeal.

Subsequently, the judges of the Fifth Civil Chamber concluded that collective harm had indeed been caused. As a result, the ruling includes the payment of $27,000 in compensation to the Children and Adolescents' Rights Fund, intended to finance social programs for the welfare of minors in vulnerable situations.