BRAZIL — October 24, 2026
Brazilian federal prosecutors have filed a special appeal seeking to reopen the criminal case against Isadora Borges, a Christian veterinary student who could face up to 10 years in prison over two posts published on social media platform X.
The appeal asks the Superior Tribunal of Justice to review a March 2026 decision that dismissed the charges against Borges. The case arose from posts she published in 2020 expressing her views on biological sex and gender identity.
The earlier ruling found that the posts did not threaten or call for violence against transgender people and that the required criminal intent had not been established. Prosecutors’ latest filing is a request for further judicial review; it does not mean the charges have already been reinstated.
ADF International, which supports Borges, has criticised the appeal and argued that the earlier ruling should stand. The case has drawn attention to questions about freedom of expression, anti-discrimination law and religious expression.
