Brazil — Documents reviewed by the press indicate that Wilson Antonio Camilo Ribeiro, a Brazilian penitentiary security inspector, former union leader and investigative journalist, may be the target of a coordinated campaign involving illegal surveillance, judicial manipulation and alleged fabrication of criminal evidence, following years of reporting on corruption and abuse within the penitentiary system.

According to legal filings submitted to Brazil’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) and currently under review by the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), Ribeiro survived an alleged attempt on his life in August 2024. However, instead of being formally recognized as a victim, he was later charged with attempted homicide, in what his defense describes as a deliberate inversion of procedural roles.

Alleged fabrication of medical evidence

Central to the case is a medical record allegedly used to fabricate criminal materiality against the journalist. The document — the only basis for a forensic report supporting the accusation — contains no clinical description of injuries, no imaging results, no patient signature, and no confirmation of the alleged victim’s presence.

More critically, the record bears a medical stamp (CRM 17840-MG) belonging to a doctor who, according to official registries, died in 2010, more than a decade before the alleged examination. No formal medical report exists, and no legally required forensic examination was performed, despite the alleged victim being alive and available.

Legal experts consulted by the defense argue that the use of such documentation may constitute forgery, procedural fraud and abuse of authority, raising serious concerns about judicial integrity and due process.

Threats and intimidation

The case gained further international relevance after Ribeiro reported that one of the individuals he had publicly identified as a suspect in the unsolved murder of his son made a veiled threat following a recent investigative article.

In response to the publication, the individual allegedly stated:

“Losing your son wasn’t enough, was it?”

The remark is particularly troubling, as the murder investigation remains under judicial secrecy, and Ribeiro never publicly disclosed details identifying suspects. The defense questions how such information could be referenced unless there was prior illicit knowledge of the crime or intimidation intent.

Press freedom concerns

Human rights advocates warn that the case may represent a textbook example of judicial harassment against a journalist, involving criminal prosecution, fabricated evidence, family separation and surveillance — all mechanisms known internationally as tools to silence whistleblowers.

Ribeiro has previously denounced senior officials, criminal networks and alleged collusion between state agents and private actors. His legal team argues that the sequence of events demonstrates retaliation for journalistic activity, not a legitimate criminal prosecution.

The Brazilian authorities cited in the filings have not publicly commented on the allegations. The case remains under review by federal institutions.