Organization warns of risks the measure poses to source confidentiality.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF).
Miami (March 13, 2026) — The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) expressed concern over a search and seizure order carried out against journalist Luís Pablo Conceição Almeida in the state of Maranhão, as part of a judicial investigation into the dissemination of false news currently before Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF).
According to information published by the local outlet G1, the Federal Police executed a search warrant at the journalist’s residence after he published, on Blog do Luís Pablo, information related to the alleged use of an official vehicle from the Maranhão Court of Justice by relatives of STF Justice Flávio Dino. The measure was ordered by STF Justice Alexandre de Moraes, according to press reports.
The IAPA noted that the case raises concerns about its potential implications for journalists’ professional secrecy and the free exercise of journalism—principles protected by Brazil’s Constitution and by international standards on freedom of expression.
“Source confidentiality is a fundamental safeguard for the practice of journalism in democratic societies. When judicial measures can affect that protection, there is a risk of weakening journalists’ ability to investigate matters of public interest and creating an intimidating effect that harms the flow of information to society,” said IAPA President Pierre Manigault, of Evening Post Publishing Inc., in Charleston, South Carolina, United States.
The chair of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Martha Ramos, emphasized that professional secrecy is an essential tool to ensure that information of public interest can be disclosed. “Source confidentiality is not a privilege for journalists but a safeguard for society. It allows people with relevant information about public matters to speak without fear of retaliation,” said Ramos, editorial director of Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM).
Concern was also expressed by organizations representing media outlets in Brazil. In a joint statement, the Associação Brasileira de Emissoras de Rádio e Televisão (ABERT), the Associação Nacional de Editores de Revistas (ANER), and the Associação Nacional de Jornais (ANJ) described the judicial decision as troubling and recalled that journalistic activity is constitutionally protected by source confidentiality. The entities also noted that any measure that potentially undermines this guarantee should be interpreted as an attack on the free exercise of journalism.
Principle 3 of the IAPA’s Declaration of Chapultepec states that “no journalist may be forced to reveal his or her sources of information..” Likewise, the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights establishes (Principle 8) that “every social communicator has the right to keep his/her source of information, notes, personal and professional archives confidential.”
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.