London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

US Reporter Glenn Greenwald Has Been Charged With Cybercrimes in Brazil

US Reporter Glenn Greenwald Has Been Charged With Cybercrimes in Brazil

The reporter says he is innocent and is being punished by the government of President Jair Bolsonaro.

A federal prosecutor in Brazil formally charged American journalist Glenn Greenwald and six others on Tuesday with cybercrimes linked to his reporting on a scandal that has embarrassed the country's justice system.

But Greenwald, who earned worldwide fame for his role in publishing classified information obtained by Edward Snowden, maintained the charges were politically motivated.

The case involves the publication of messages exchanged by then-judge Sérgio Moro, now justice minister in President Jair Bolsonaro's far-right government, between 2014 and 2018 with prosecutors responsible for investigating the Petrobras scandal, a controversy involving a state-owned oil company that sent former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to jail.

The Intercept Brasil, a website founded by Greenwald, obtained the messages and published a series of stories last year, raising serious accusations that Moro acted in collusion with prosecutors against the leftist ex-president.

Greenwald and the Intercept say they obtained the messages from anonymous sources and published a series of articles in the name of public interest.

But on Tuesday, federal prosecutor Wellington Divino de Oliveira called for the opening of a criminal case against those suspected of hacking messages from authorities on the Telegram app.

Greenwald's inclusion among those charged came as something of a surprise because a preliminary investigation by federal police had found no evidence that the journalist was responsible for any hacking.

The police investigation concluded that Greenwald only had access to the messages after the hackers obtained them, without having ordered the cyberattack or paying for it.

But according to Oliveira, the prosecutor, Greenwald "helped, encouraged and guided the group to hack cellphones."


In a statement posted on Twitter, Greenwald accused Bolsonaro’s government of trying to silence his reporting. “Less than two months ago, the Federal Police, examining all the same evidence cited by the Public Ministry, stated explicitly that not only have I never committed any crime but that I exercised extreme caution as a journalist never even to get close to any participation,” he said.

“This denunciation ... is an obvious attempt to attack a free press in retaliation for the revelations we reported about Minister Moro and the Bolsonaro government,” Greenwald said.

“We will not be intimidated by these tyrannical attempts to silence journalists," he vowed.

Lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, the president's son, used Twitter to attack the journalist and celebrate the prosecution's charges: "Glenn Greenwald always said that he loved Brazil and wanted to get to know the country in depth. Maybe he'll even get to know jail."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
×