14 October 2026
Since July 2026, Cartunista Das Cavernas has been receiving death threats on Facebook because of his editorial cartoons. These messages, which have become increasingly violent, have turned into explicit death threats. The cartoonist has received these threats via private messages, as well as in the comments on his posts. One user even went so far as to post a doctored photo of the cartoonist, in which he is depicted with a bullet in his head. The cartoonist has filed a complaint with the São Paulo State Police for threats and verbal abuse.
These threats have intensified in recent weeks against the backdrop of Brazil’s polarised presidential election, which pits the outgoing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – known as ‘Lula’ – against Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. Journalists are facing pressure and threats from Brazil’s far right.
The Brazilian press has been the target of numerous attacks by Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters in the past. According to the Coalition for the Defence of Journalism (CDJor), attacks on the press on social media rose by 74 per cent in the eight days leading up to the first round of the elections. Like journalists, Brazilian cartoonists are regularly targeted and threatened because of their work.
Cartooning for Peace, which is closely monitoring the ongoing legal proceedings, expresses its concern at the death threats against the Brazilian cartoonist Cartunista Das Cavernas and strongly condemns the attacks and acts of intimidation against the Brazilian press, particularly in the context of the elections.
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