Dangerous Times at a Brazilian university
Support our friend, dismissed by his university
We reproduce a statement by the committee to defend Professor José Carlos Moreira da Silva Filho, ‘Zeka’ a friend and colleague in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Whilst this cannot be alleged in the statement, the immediate trigger appears to have been his participation in a public event that brought together several openly left-wing political figures.
We are living through dangerous times, marked by the advance of authoritarianism, political persecution of critical sectors of society, and constant attacks on democratic values. In a context in which academic freedom, university autonomy, pluralism of ideas, and the production of critical thought are increasingly under pressure, we received with profound indignation the news of the dismissal, without any public justification, of Professor José Carlos Moreira da Silva Filho, a faculty member at the School of Law of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS).
Professor Zeka is one of Brazil’s most respected researchers in the field of Law. A CNPq Research Productivity Fellow, he has an academic career recognized nationally and internationally, marked by significant scholarly output, the training of researchers, and an enduring commitment to academic excellence. His work extends beyond the university: he currently serves as Vice President of the Amnesty Commission, linked to the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, dedicating his career to the defense of democracy, memory, truth, transitional justice, and human rights.
Throughout his career, he has received important academic and institutional recognition, ranking among prominent Latin American researchers in the field of Law in international bibliometric rankings and being honored in 2025 with the State of Law Newspaper’s Award of Appreciation, in recognition of his contribution to legal thought and to strengthening the Democratic Rule of Law.
In recent times, the academic community has followed with growing concern the succession of dismissals of professors at PUCRS. Although presented as administrative decisions, these decisions reveal a pattern that cannot fail to cause concern. What these cases have in common are faculty members recognized for their commitment to democracy, human rights, civic education, and the development of a critical, socially engaged, and technically qualified legal education.
More than the dismissal of a professor, this represents the rupture of an academic career built over decades. Left at the university are countless undergraduate students, master’s and doctoral advisees with research projects underway, established research groups, outreach projects, national and international networks for scientific cooperation and the internationalization of research, as well as the collegial relationships that have always characterized his presence in the institution’s corridors. The loss, therefore, is not merely individual. It affects the entire university community and undermines an intellectual, scientific, and human legacy built collectively.
A university is not defined solely by its buildings, indicators, or positions in rankings. It is built every day through the freedom to teach, research, and learn; through coexistence among different perspectives; through university autonomy; and through the courage to produce knowledge committed to transforming reality. When researchers of recognized excellence and unquestionable public commitment no longer find a place within an institution, the entire academic community is called upon to reflect on the future of the university and on the values it intends to preserve.
For these reasons, we express our deepest solidarity with Professor José Carlos Moreira da Silva Filho, his students, advisees, colleagues, and collaborators, reaffirming our unwavering commitment to academic freedom, university autonomy, critical scientific research, human rights, and democracy. In the face of events such as this, silence can never be an option.