Brazil Supreme Court Justice Exposes Death Threats
Politics: Brazil
Key Facts
—Who. Flávio Dino, minister of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, and fellow ministers Alexandre de Moraes and Cristiano Zanin.
—What. Dino made public excerpts of a court security report showing thousands of messages with threats of assassination and aggression.
—Where. Brazil, on social media, with X (formerly Twitter) carrying the highest volume of hostile posts.
—When. Friday 9 October 2026, 16 days before the presidential runoff on Sunday 25 October 2026.
—Why it matters. Threats against judges add to political risk in Latin America’s largest economy during a tense election.
—Prediction markets. Polymarket prices Yes at 19% that Moraes leaves the court before the end of 2026, and Kalshi prices 22% (4:57 pm US Eastern, 9 October 2026).
—As of. 9 October 2026, 21:00 GMT
A minister of Brazil’s Supreme Court has made public a court security report that shows thousands of messages threatening judges with death. Flávio Dino posted excerpts on Friday 9 October 2026, 16 days before the presidential runoff.
What We Know
On Friday 9 October 2026, Flávio Dino, a minister of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court, published excerpts of a security report on his verified Instagram profile. The report was produced by the court itself.
Dino wrote that he had received excerpts of a security report “showing thousands of messages in the same sense: threats of assassination and various aggressions”. The messages name Dino, Alexandre de Moraes and Cristiano Zanin, who are all ministers of the court.
The Supreme Federal Court, known in Brazil as the STF, is the country’s highest court on constitutional questions. Its ministers sit in the capital, Brasília.
Dino said the hatred in the messages comes from “the repetition of lies, aimed at causing violence”. He added that the threats will not change his work, and that if a judge comes to fear deciding a case, “there is no longer a Judiciary”.
What the Report Shows
The report identified threats of shooting, explosion, hanging and dismemberment against court ministers on social media. X, formerly Twitter, carried the highest volume of hostile posts.
One quoted message said Dino would be “the first to be shot” for restricting access to weapons. We are not reproducing the other violent detail in the excerpts.
Another message urged people to invade the court and do to Moraes, Dino and Zanin what was done to Tiradentes, with the head in a public square. Tiradentes is the independence martyr who was hanged in 1792 and whose body was dismembered.
What Is Not Known
The report covers messages from 1 to 6 October 2026, according to Brazilian media, but the exact number of messages was not given. Dino described “thousands” of messages, and no precise figure has been published.
No official response from police or prosecutors had been reported at the time of publication. We cannot say whether any case has been opened over the messages.
Dino published excerpts, so the full text of the report is not available to us. We therefore cannot say how many different authors or accounts sit behind the messages.
What It Means for Travelers and US Readers
Brazil’s presidential runoff takes place on Sunday 25 October 2026, so political tension is already high. Our earlier reports have covered the strain around the Supreme Court, including Brazil’s Establishment Backs Fachin Over the Supreme Court Crisis.
The Supreme Court oversees cases involving the circle of former president Jair Bolsonaro, which gives the threats political weight beyond the individual ministers. For background on the court’s wider workload, see Fachin Takes on Two More Bolsonaro Processes From Moraes.
US investors watch judicial independence as one input into political risk in Latin America’s largest economy, Brazil. We draw no market conclusion from a single report.
The excerpts we have seen target court ministers, not visitors, and we have no travel advisory to report. Travellers should still follow official guidance from their own governments during the election period.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, the market “Alexandre de Moraes out as Brazil Supreme Court Justice?” priced Yes at 19% on Friday 9 October 2026 at 4:57 pm US Eastern (20:57 GMT), with US$145,269 traded. It resolves Yes if he ceases to be a justice at any time through 31 December 2026.
On Kalshi, which is regulated in the US by the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission), the market “Will Alexandre de Moraes leave Brazil’s Supreme Court?” priced “before 1 January 2027” at 22%, with 14,072 contracts traded. These are bets, not polls, and they do not comment on the threats.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
Background: Brazil Tax Reform 2026 Replaces Five Taxes With Two VATs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Flávio Dino?
Flávio Dino is a minister of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court. He published the report excerpts on his verified Instagram profile on Friday 9 October 2026.
What does the security report say?
It identifies threats of shooting, explosion, hanging and dismemberment against court ministers on social media. Dino says it shows thousands of messages, with X carrying the highest volume of hostile posts.
Has anyone been charged over the threats?
No official response from police or prosecutors had been reported at the time of publication. We will report any official step once it is confirmed.
Does this change the presidential runoff?
The runoff remains scheduled for Sunday 25 October 2026. We have no information that the report alters the election calendar.
Sources
Agência Brasil · CNN Brasil · Metrópoles · Supremo Tribunal Federal
Connected Coverage
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief