Cristina Ferreira broke her silence and reacted this Thursday, April 16, to the controversy that arose following the statements she made on the program Two at 10, that TVI, about a case in which four influencers are accused of raping a minor under 16 and filming the sexual acts, in Loures, last year. The presenter’s words generated outrage and motivated, “so far”, 3300 complaints to the Regulatory Entity for Social Communication (ERC).
The case began to be judged on Monday (13) behind closed doors and, the following day, was the topic of the segment Criminal Chronicle of the TVI program, during which the presenter asked a question that generated a wave of criticism and accusations. “Why do we have to say this. Because it’s like this: even if she said to stop, when there are four of them who are in that adrenaline rush of having sex with a girl, does anyone listen? Of course they have to listen, but does anyone understand that ‘I don’t want any more?'”, asked the presenter on TVI’s morning program.
Cristina Ferreira’s words led many, including anonymous people, activists and public figures, to consider that she was excusing the behavior of the accused young people, which the presenter denies in the statement, however, released on Instagram.
“I reject and consider any form of crime or abuse to be unjustifiable”, he began writing, noting that his words may have been taken out of context.
He argued that “the complete and objective visualization of the discussion on the topic” allows us to understand “that there was never any attempt to justify the alleged crime in question, which will be the subject of a criminal trial” and that his words in the aforementioned program “were uttered as part of a question to commentators on the Criminal Chronicle”. “Not as my personal opinion on the subject,” he stated.
He points out that, in any case, no one wanted to “justify any criminal action on the victim.” “We didn’t want it and we didn’t justify it”, he assured.
“Regardless of the interpretation that each person may have taken from my words, I never had any intention of justifying the alleged behavior in question. Much less, did I intend to reduce the suffering of the alleged victim”, reinforced Cristina Ferreira.
In the note published on the social network regretted, however, “the level of attacks” that have been directed at him and which also target TVI after broadcasting the program. “One thing is freedom of opinion, which I practice in my life and which I encourage in public space. Another thing, they are exercises of pure personal hatred”, considered Cristina Ferreira, who does not intend to make any further comments on this topic.
TVI had already issued a statement to stand alongside Cristina Ferreira, in which she lamented “the form, tone, decontextualization and gross manipulation with which the presenter’s words” were “being interpreted and disseminated”.
“Under no circumstances would TVI, and of course Cristina Ferreira, agree with the trivialization of any crime, much less encourage or devalue it. Rapes or sex without consent can only be the object of repulsion and condemnation. One thing is a question formulated in the exercise of one’s duties as presenter, with the aim of providing an opportunity to express repudiation of acts perpetrated by rapists, another is to express a critical opinion. The question happened, the comment is not much less the expression of trivialization of the crime. Another thing is the impunity with which the gratuitous and frivolous offense spreads, without control, especially on social networks. The courts that will be appealed to will try to restore justice”, says the broadcaster’s note.
Contacted by Lusa, the ERC “informs that it has received, to date, 3300 reports regarding Cristina Ferreira’s statements on TVI’s ‘Dois à 10’ program”. Participations that are “under consideration by ERC services, following the investigation procedure determined by the Regulatory Council”, an official ERC source told the news agency.
According to the Public Ministry’s complaint, the defendants in the aforementioned case are currently between 18 and 21 years old and are facing charges of major rape and 27 counts of major child pornography.
One of the ‘influencers’ is also accused of three crimes of harm to physical integrity and another of the same nature.
The case dates back to February 12, 2025, when the victim met the four accused, then with significant social media and public channels, in a public garden in Santo António dos Cavaleiros, in the municipality of Loures, in the metropolitan area of Lisbon.
According to the complaint, the sexual acts, recorded on a cell phone, began consensually in the public garden and continued, against the victim’s will, in a nearby garage.
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