A federal court in Brazil imprisoned comedian Leonardo Lins for eight years on Tuesday for jokes he told in a YouTube video in 2022.

According to Brazilian outlet O Globo , The 2022 video, which was titled “Disturbing,” apparently “[included] prejudiced statements against black people, obese people, the elderly, HIV-positive people, homosexuals, indigenous people, people from the Northeast, evangelicals, Jews and people with disabilities.

So what? They’re jokes.

The Federal Court also ordered the comedian to pay a fine equivalent to 1,170 minimum wages and a compensation of R$ 303.6 thousand for collective moral damages. He can appeal the sentence.

The comedian was reported by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF).

Due to the “large number of affected social groups,” the Justice opted to increase Lins’s sentence. The fact that the statements occurred in a “context of relaxation, fun, or recreation” was considered an aggravating factor.

The sentence, issued by the 3rd Federal Criminal Court of São Paulo, states that Lins’s performance stimulates “the spread of verbal violence in society and fosters intolerance.” It adds: “freedom of expression is not an excuse for making hateful, prejudicial, and discriminatory comments.

Verbal violence? Only a leftist would call jokes “verbal violence” or any words “violence”.

“In a statement, Lins’s team informed that they will appeal the sentence. “This is a serious and unprecedented decision that raises serious concerns about the limits of artistic and expressive freedom in Brazil,” the text said. According to his manager, the comedian will address the issue shortly on his social media.

The commies are out of control

Lins never thought this would happen. After the sentencing he said on social media, the video “Disturbing” was taken down from YouTube by court order in 2023, when it had more than three million views. At the time, Lins said that the Justice was “equaling an artistic expression with a criminal act.”

Comedians like Fábio Porchat and Antônio Tabet came to his defense. ‘This is a disgrace! Unacceptable!’ wrote Porchat on social media. ‘It is not up to the Justice system — nor anyone else — to approve or censor someone else’s jokes. You can like, hate, or criticize comedy or the comedian, but jokes are just jokes. Jokes do not kill more than dramas, journalism, advertising, or reality,’ said Tabet.

Unbelievable! 8 years for telling jokes!!?!? This is insanity. https://t.co/6K56TPtA6H pic.twitter.com/RqXsIsjRKB

— Destiny Rezendes (@dezzie_rezzie) June 5, 2025