New Delhi: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has released a statement condemning the persecution of Glenn Greenwald after far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro publicly threatened to imprison the journalist.The IFJ, in conjunction with its Brazilian affiliate FENAJ, said Greenwald, an American investigative journalist, was being threatened and condemned attempts to muzzle press freedom.During a military ceremony on July 27, Bolsonaro suggested that Greenwald “might be imprisoned” over the revelations published in The Intercept. A few days before, members of his party had said the journalist was “aligned with criminal hackers”.IFJ general secretary, Anthony Bellanger said, “We strongly condemn any attempt to intimidate Glenn Greenwald and salute his courage in reporting in an increasingly hostile political environment. Brazilian authorities must immediately stop harassing him and other media workers and guarantee journalists’ safety and fundamental rights”.In a statement released by FENAJ, the organisation warned of “the danger of restrictions on press freedom, which are always used by autocratic governments” and added that “FENAJ reaffirms its commitment to the defence of journalists’ freedom and their right to keep their sources secret”.Greenwald published a series of reports in The Intercept in June 2019, which precipitated a political storm in Brazil. The reports leaked communication chats compromising the then-presiding judge and current minister of justice Sergio Moro. According to reports in The Intercept, Moro allegedly communicated with the lead prosecutor in the case, Deltan Dallagnol, and gave strategic tips and advice in the corruption probe known as “Operation Car Wash”.Also Read: Intercept Reports Show How Brazil’s Top Prosecutors Conspired Against Former President LulaThe five-year sweeping corruption investigation resulted in the conviction of former two-time Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula, of the centre-left Workers Party (PT). The probe also resulted in the impeachment of his successor and protégé Dilma Rousseff.In 2018, before the Brazilian presidential elections, Lula was declared ineligible to run for office under the “Clean Slate” law which prohibits politicians from contesting elections if they have been convicted of a crime and the conviction has been upheld, as in the case of Lula. The disqualification of Lula, who was a front runner at the time, from seeking office is believed to have benefitted far-right leader Bolsonaro in ascending to the presidency. Moro later became the justice minister in Bolsonaro’s cabinet.Brazil’s new President Jair Bolsonaro and his wife Michelle wave as they drive past before his swear-in ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil January 1, 2019. Credit: Reuters/Ricardo MoraesAlso read: Latin America: ‘The Mechanism’ and the Cost of CorruptionGreenwald, who is one of three co-founding editors of The Intercept and won the Pulitzer prize in 2014 for his reportage for The Guardian on Edward Snowden’s revelations about NSA’s surveillance programmes, has since been at the receiving end of a violent online harassment campaign called #DeportGlennGreenwald coordinated by supporters of Bolsonaro. Greenwald, along with his husband and leftist congressman David Miranda, has also received death threats because of his reporting and the federal police are also probing Greenwald’s finances.For the third day in a row, Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro accused me, by name, of committing crimes for reporting on corruption by high officials. For the third day in a row, he still can’t answer reporters’ questions about what crimes I committed or what evidence he has: https://t.co/LvOfy23TLi— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 30, 2019The Committee to Protect Journalists also condemned the efforts to intimidate Greenwald and called upon “Brazilian authorities must respect journalists’ constitutional right to do investigative reporting and hold power to account.” CPJ Central and South America Program Coordinator Natalie Southwick said, “The latest statements from President Bolsonaro threatening Glenn Greenwald with jail time are an inappropriate and dangerous escalation of the Brazilian government’s troubling response to The Intercept Brasil’s reporting”.