A Brazilian comedian has been jailed for eight years and three months for making offensive jokes in a stand-up special.
A federal court in São Paulo said Leo Lins’s work contributed to ‘the spread of verbal violence in society and promotion of intolerance’.
The Brazilian government brought the case, saying the comedian’s material targetted black people, the ob*se, elderly people, those living with HIV, LGBT people, evangelicals, Indigenous communities, people from the impoverished northeast of Brazil, Jews and people with disabilities.
His lawyers criticised the ruling, saying in a statement: ‘This is a sad chapter for freedom of expression in Brasil.
‘Watching a comedian receive the same punishment as someone convicted of drug trafficking, corruption, or even murder, all because of jokes told on stage, is deeply troubling.’
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https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2025/06/05/58224/8_years:_jail_term_for_comic_over_his_jokes