Criminal limits of humour: the Leo Lins case
In June 2025, Brazilian comedian Leonardo (Leo) Lins was convicted by the 3rd Federal Criminal Court of São Paulo to 8 years, 3 months, and 9 days of imprisonment, plus 39 daily fines, each day-fine set at thirty times the minimum wage in force at the time of the facts, for crimes of practicing, inducing, or inciting discrimination or prejudice against people on grounds such as ethnicity, disability, or religion. The facts consisted of a Leo Lins comedy performance that targeted, among others, Black people, homosexuals, evangelicals, Indigenous people, obese people, and people with disabilities. The conviction was overturned in February 2026.
The case frames a debate about the scope of freedom of expression in a borderland area—the very zone where the issue most needs discussion: are there grounds to punish someone because of the offensive nature of their speech? Does a humorous tone redefine the limits of freedom of expression?
To explore the arguments on both sides of the dispute, a brief staged debate on the Leo Lins case will take place, in which, solely for the purposes of the event, António Brito Neves will defend the comedian’s conviction and Beatriz Corrêa Camargo will defend his acquittal. As an argumentative exercise, the positions taken commit the speakers only within the scope of the event.
After these two short interventions, Hugo van der Ding will comment on them and on the case. Finally, the discussion will be opened (also) to the audience, with the expectation that the session will culminate in a collective conversation that helps to better understand the conflicting arguments and to form an informed position on the underlying issue. The moderation will be by Nuno Igreja Matos.
António Brito Neves is Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, Legal Advisor at the Supreme Court of Justice, and an Integrated Researcher at the Centre for Research in Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences. Beatriz Corrêa Camargo is Professor of Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law of the Federal University of Uberlândia, a member of the Advisory Board of the Eduardo Correia Institute (Brazil), a nominated member of the Board of External Trustees of the Francisco Suárez Law Research Centre at Universidade Lusófona (Portugal), and an Assistant Editor of the Brazilian Journal of Criminal Sciences. Hugo van der Ding is a presenter, cartoonist, and podcast author, among other creative activities. He writes for theatre and has created and taken part in television programmes. Nuno Igreja Matos is a visiting assistant at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, a lawyer, and a Collaborating Researcher at the Centre for Research in Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences.