ADI 5728 AND THE UNDERMINING OF ANIMAL DIGNITY: BETWEEN THE RIGHT TO CULTURE AND THE ETHICAL-LEGAL SETBACK

ENTRE O DIREITO A CULTURA E O RETROCESSO ÉTICO-JURÍDICO

Authors

  • Tagore Trajano de Almeida Silva Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) e Universidade Católica de Salvador (UCSal)
  • Bruna Cardoso Diogo Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21671/rdufms.v10i1.24164

Abstract

This article critically examines the recent decision of the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court in Direct Action of Unconstitutionality No. 5728, which upheld the constitutionality of Constitutional Amendment No. 96/2017. This amendment introduced an exception to the constitutional prohibition of cruelty enshrined in Article 225, §1, item VII of the Federal Constitution, by allowing cultural practices such as rodeos and vaquejadas, even when they involve animal suffering. The hypothesis is that this decision constitutes a setback in the progressive development of legal protection for animals in Brazil, weakening the recognition of animal dignity as an implicit constitutional principle. Through bibliographic and jurisprudential research, as well as discourse analysis of the justices' opinions, the study contrasts the reasoning of ADI 5728 with that of ADI 4983, highlighting contradictions in the Court’s jurisprudence and the erosion of the anti-cruelty principle. Furthermore, the article explores the conflict between the right to culture and the constitutional limits imposed by the protection of animal life and integrity, questioning whether cultural expressions can prevail over the fundamental rights of non-human animals. It concludes that the decision violates the principle of non-regression in environmental matters and reflects an anthropocentric bias that undermines the ethical and legal advancement of animal protection within the Brazilian constitutional framework.

Author Biographies

  • Tagore Trajano de Almeida Silva, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) e Universidade Católica de Salvador (UCSal)

    Pós-doutor em Direito pela Pace Law School, New York/USA. Doutor e Mestre em Direito Público pela Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) com estágio sanduíche como Visiting Scholar na Michigan State University (MSU/USA). Coordenador do PPGD/UCSal. Professor Efetivo Adjunto “C” da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Federal da Bahia. Professor do Programa de Pós-graduação da Universidade Católica de Salvador (UCSal/BA). Avaliador Ad hoc do CNPq. Pesquisador Visitante da University of Science and Technology of China (USTC/ China). Membro do Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa e Extensão em Direitos dos Animais, Meio Ambiente e Pós-humanismo – NIPEDA. Coordenador Regional do Brazil-American Institute for Law and Environment – BAILE. Editor acadêmico do site do Mestrado em Direito e Sociedade da Universidade Autônoma de Barcelona/Espanha. Coeditor da Revista Brasileira de Direito Animal (Salvador/BA - ISSN 1809909-2). Atualmente é Professor e Pesquisador visitante de Universidades estrangeiras, onde exerce coordenação de projetos acadêmicos. Membro-fundador da Asociación Latinoamericana de Derecho Ambiental. Membro da Comissão de Meio Ambiente da Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil/Bahia. Advogado.

  • Bruna Cardoso Diogo, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA)

    Oficial de Justiça Avaliadora Federal do Tribunal Regional do Trabalho da 5 região (TRT5-BA). Especialista em Direito Constitucional pelo Instituto Damásio de Direito (2021). Especialista em Direito Constitucional Contemporâneo pela Universidade Anhanguera (2023).

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Published

2026-01-09

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2024): Revista Direito UFMS

Section

Artigos

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