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brazil-records-requests

Public records requests under Brazil's Access to Information Law (LAI). Use for Fala.BR filings, e-SIC, and CGU/CMRI appeals.

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The skills CLI installs just this skill, for any of its supported agents. Claude Code installs the whole jamditis/claude-skills-journalism collection as a plugin from our marketplace. Git is the plain clone.

Skill manifest

Brazilian public records requests (LAI)

Brazil's Access to Information Law, Lei 12.527/2011, universally called the LAI, is one of the stronger transparency statutes in Latin America and one of the most under-used by reporters. Most denials are not legal defeats. They are drafting failures that a differently worded request would have avoided.

This skill covers the full cycle: choosing the body, drafting, filing, tracking, and the four-level appeal chain.

When to use

  • Drafting a request to any Brazilian government body
  • Deciding which body and which portal actually holds the records
  • Diagnosing a denial and deciding whether to appeal or refile
  • Writing an appeal at any of the four levels
  • Planning the timeline of an investigation that depends on records
  • Training reporters on LAI practice

Do not use for

  • US records requests, use foia-requests
  • Court case data, which in Brazil is mostly public through other channels (DataJud, e-SAJ, PJe) and rarely needs a records request
  • Data already published under transparência ativa (see "Check first" below)

Language

Respond in the language the reporter writes in. Draft anything addressed to a Brazilian public body — the request itself, appeals, follow-ups — in Portuguese, whatever language the conversation is in.

Portuguese is not a validity requirement: LAI art. 10 and Decree 7.724/2012 art. 12 require the requester's identification and a description of the information, and neither mandates a language or authorizes denial for using another one. It is a practical one. The clerk reading the request works in Portuguese, and a request that is not understood gets bounced as generic under Decree 7.724, art. 13, I — which costs the full 20 days and a refile. Where the receiving body publishes its own filing rules, check them; subnational practice varies.

Check first: is a request even necessary?

Art. 8 of the LAI obliges agencies to publish core categories of information on their own initiative. Filing for something already public wastes 20 days and signals inexperience to the agency.

Check, in order:

  1. Portal da Transparência (portaltransparencia.gov.br), federal spending, payroll, sanctions, benefits
  2. Dados abertos (dados.gov.br) and the agency's own open-data page
  3. PNCP (pncp.gov.br), federal, state and municipal procurement since 2021
  4. Painel Lei de Acesso à Informação (CGU), request statistics by agency
  5. Busca de Pedidos e Respostas (CGU), published federal responses can show how an agency describes its own data. Sensitive, personal, classified, or otherwise restricted information may be redacted or excluded. A missing result does not prove that no earlier request exists.
  6. Achados e Pedidos (achadosepedidos.org.br), Abraji and Transparência Brasil's archive of requests and responses across jurisdictions

Step 5 is the single highest-value habit in Brazilian records work. Reading prior responses from the same agency teaches you its internal vocabulary, which is what determines whether your request is understood or bounced.

Step 1: Identify the body and the portal

There is no single filing system. The portal follows the body.

Body Where to file
Federal executive (ministries, agencies, autarquias, federal state-owned firms) Fala.BR (falabr.cgu.gov.br), gov.br login required
States and the Federal District Each state runs its own e-SIC; some have joined Fala.BR
Municipalities Municipal e-SIC; smaller cities often accept email or in-person only
Judiciary Each court's own SIC, under CNJ rules
Ministério Público Each MP's own SIC, under CNMP rules
Legislature Câmara, Senado, and each state assembly and city council run separate systems

Practical consequences:

  • Filing with the wrong body costs the full 20 days. The agency will answer that it does not hold the information, and under art. 11, §1º, III it should indicate who does, but frequently does not.
  • When you are unsure which of two bodies holds the record, file with both. There is no penalty and no cost.
  • Sub-national practice is uneven. Many municipal systems are broken, unstaffed, or require in-person filing. Budget extra time and keep evidence of failed filing attempts; that evidence supports later escalation.
  • CGU and CMRI appeals only reach the federal executive. For state and municipal denials, the last administrative step is usually the local controladoria or ouvidoria, and after that the courts.

Step 2: Draft the request

What the law lets you refuse to explain

Art. 10 §3º forbids agencies from requiring the reasons for a request.

Do not explain that you are a journalist, do not name the story, do not describe what you plan to do with the data. It is legally unnecessary and it invites the request to be routed to the press office instead of the records unit. Filing as a private citizen is normal practice.

What the request must contain

  • Requester identification (name and a valid ID document, CPF is common but not mandated by art. 12; a user already identified on Fala.BR does not need to re-disclose it), anonymous filing is not available
  • A specific description of the information sought
  • The delivery format you want

For a federal-executive request filed outside Fala.BR, add a physical or electronic address for communications. Decree 7.724/2012, art. 12, IV requires it. Other bodies can have different local rules.

What makes a request survive

Be specific about the record, not about the subject. Agencies hold documents and databases, not topics.

Weak Strong
"All information about environmental fines" "The complete IBAMA sanctions database (autos de infração) issued between 01/01/2020 and 31/12/2024, in CSV, containing the fields already published in the agency's open-data release"
"Contracts with company X" "The full text of contracts and their amendments signed between the ministry and CNPJ 00.000.000/0001-00 since January 2023, with contract numbers and SEI process numbers"
"Documents about the decision" "Process number 00000.000000/2024-00 in full, including technical opinions (notas técnicas) and dispatches"

Techniques that work:

  • Ask for the database, not a report. Requesting an existing table in CSV or XLSX avoids the "additional analysis work" objection, because the agency only has to export what it already has.
  • Cite the SEI or process number whenever you have one. It removes all ambiguity about scope.
  • Bound the request by date and by field. Unbounded requests draw the "disproportionate" objection.
  • Ask for the data dictionary too. A dump without field definitions often cannot be used.
  • Split a broad question into several narrow requests. Each is judged separately, so one refusal does not sink the rest, and each starts its own 20-day clock in parallel.
  • Ask for the existing digital format. If the information is stored digitally, agree to receive it in that format under LAI art. 11 §5º. For a dataset, request its existing CSV, XLSX, or other digital export. Do not demand conversion of a document that exists only as a PDF.

Use templates/pedido-inicial.md for the general form and templates/pedido-base-de-dados.md when the target is a database.

Step 3: Deadlines

Under art. 11:

  • Immediate, when the information is readily available
  • Otherwise 20 days to grant access, state the reasons for refusal, or say the body does not hold the information and indicate who does
  • Extendable once, by 10 days, with express written justification communicated to the requester (art. 11 §2º)

So the realistic worst case for a first answer is 30 days. Silence does not route through the same channel as a reasoned denial, see "Step 5: The appeal chain" for the federal-executive procedure (reclamação, not a direct appeal).

Service is free; agencies may charge only for reproduction costs, and low-income requesters are exempt on declaration (art. 12).

Plan investigations backwards from this: a request filed in March with a full appeal chain may not resolve until August.

Step 4: Diagnose the denial

Almost all denials fall into a few categories. The right response differs for each, appealing a denial that should have been refiled wastes months.

Decree 7.724/2012 applies only to the federal executive. The first three grounds below use that Decree. For state, municipal, judicial, legislative, and Ministério Público bodies, check the local rule before characterizing a denial or citing the Decree.

Denial Basis Response
Generic request Federal executive: Decree 7.724/2012, art. 13, I Refile, narrowed. Faster than appealing.
Disproportionate or unreasonable Federal executive: Decree 7.724, art. 13, II Refile in slices, or appeal if the volume claim is implausible
Requires additional analysis, interpretation or consolidation of data Federal executive: Decree 7.724, art. 13, III Appeal. If it knows where the source information is, the agency must identify that location (art. 13, parágrafo único). Ask it to state whether it has that knowledge and to identify the source if it does.
Personal data LAI art. 31 Appeal, requesting the record with personal fields redacted. Partial access is the rule, full withholding the exception.
Classified LAI arts. 23–24 Appeal, demanding the classification instrument (termo de classificação), its date, level and authority. The maximum restriction periods are 5 years for reservada, 15 for secreta, and 25 for ultrassecreta. Check whether an earlier event ends the restriction.
Body does not hold it LAI art. 11, §1º, III Ask which body does, the agency is required to say, then refile there
Silence (federal executive) Decree 7.724/2012, arts. 22–23 Reclamação to the monitoring authority, not a direct appeal, see Step 5.
Silence (other spheres) Local LAI regulation Usually an immediate appeal under LAI art. 15; confirm the state, municipal, judicial or legislative body's own rule, Decree 7.724/2012 binds the federal executive only.

Two provisions worth knowing by heart:

  • Art. 21: information necessary to the judicial or administrative defense of fundamental rights cannot be withheld, and information about conduct implicating human rights violations by state agents cannot be restricted. This defeats many classification claims in cases involving police, military or prison records.
  • Art. 14: you are entitled to the full text of the denial decision. Request it. Agencies often refuse informally, by email, without a formal decision that can be appealed, demanding the decision forces the issue.

Step 5: The appeal chain

A reasoned denial goes up four administrative levels. Each has its own window, and missing one closes the chain.

Reasoned denial
   │  10 days to file
   ▼
1. Immediate superior authority          → decides in 5 days   (LAI art. 15)
   │  10 days
   ▼
2. Agency head (autoridade máxima)       → decides in 5 days
   │  10 days
   ▼
3. CGU, federal executive only          → decides in 5 days   (LAI art. 16)
   │  10 days
   ▼
4. CMRI, final administrative recourse  (LAI art. 16 §3º)

Silence from a federal executive body does not enter that chain directly. It goes through a separate reclamação step first:

Silence past the deadline (30 days after filing, at the earliest)
   │  10 days to file
   ▼
1. Reclamação to the monitoring authority → decides in 5 days  (Decree 7.724/2012, art. 22)
   │  if unsuccessful, 10 days
   ▼
2. Recurso to CGU                         → decides in 5 days  (Decree 7.724/2012, art. 23)
   │  10 days
   ▼
3. CMRI, final administrative recourse   (LAI art. 16 §3º)

For state, municipal, judicial and legislative bodies, Decree 7.724/2012 does not apply, check whether the local LAI regulation has an equivalent reclamação step, or whether silence is appealed directly under LAI art. 15.

Notes from practice:

  • The 5-day decision windows are routinely missed. Escalate on expiry rather than waiting.
  • CGU is where journalists win. Its published decisions are a body of precedent you can cite. Search prior CGU rulings on the same denial ground and quote them in your appeal.
  • CMRI is slow. It meets periodically and a decision can take many months. It is worth using for precedent-setting refusals, less so when the story has a deadline.
  • Each appeal should add an argument, not repeat the last one. Restating the original request is the most common reason appeals fail.
  • Consult the outlet's lawyers promptly if a judicial remedy may be needed. A mandado de segurança has a 120-day period from notice of the challenged act (Lei 12.016/2009, art. 23). Track that deadline in parallel with the administrative process. The outlet's lawyers decide whether the remedy fits.

Templates: recurso-1a-instancia.md, recurso-2a-instancia.md, recurso-cgu.md, recurso-cmri.md.

Step 6: Track everything

Keep a log per request. Protocol numbers are the only reliable identifier, and Fala.BR does not notify reliably.

## Request log

**Protocol:** [Fala.BR / e-SIC number]
**Body:** [agency]
**Filed:** [date]
**Statutory deadline:** [filed + 20 days]
**Extended to:** [+10 days, if invoked, note the justification given]
**Status:** [pending / granted / partial / denied / appealed]
**Denial ground cited:** [article and text]
**Appeal level:** [1 / 2 / CGU / CMRI]
**Next deadline:** [date, and whose]
**Files received:** [paths]

Publishing the request and the response afterwards, through Achados e Pedidos or the outlet's own site, is standard practice in Brazilian investigative work and helps the next reporter. Before publishing, redact CPFs, home addresses, and any other personal field the agency did not already withhold under LAI art. 31, a public record is not automatically a public-interest publication, and this is especially true for victim, witness, and juvenile identifiers. LGPD does not apply to processing carried out exclusively for journalistic purposes (LGPD art. 4, II, a). That exclusion does not remove editorial, ethical, or other applicable legal duties to safeguard personal data.

Working with what comes back

  • Responses often arrive as PDFs of screenshots of tables. Where the agency stores the information digitally, agree to receive that existing format under art. 11 §5º. If the agency will not budge, extract and document the process.
  • Check the response against the request field by field. Partial delivery presented as full delivery is common, and the 10-day appeal clock starts from receipt.
  • Preserve the original file exactly as received, before any cleaning. It is the evidence that the agency provided it.

Statutory currency

The core citations here are Lei 12.527/2011 and Decree 7.724/2012 (federal executive regulation). Both have been amended, and state and municipal regulations vary. Verify article numbers against the current consolidated text on planalto.gov.br before relying on them in an appeal, and check current CGU guidance for procedural changes to Fala.BR.

Related Brazilian statutes that intersect: Lei 13.709/2018 (LGPD), Lei 13.460/2017 (users of public services), Lei 14.129/2021 (digital government).

Contributor credit

Reinaldo Chaves (@reichaves) contributed this skill in PR #267.

Files (claude-skills-journalism)
  • agents
    • openai.yaml 147 B
      interface:
        display_name: "Brazil records requests"
        short_description: "Public records requests under Brazil's Access to Information Law (LAI)"
      
  • examples
    • exemplo-completo.md 4.1 KB
      # Worked example: environmental enforcement data
      
      A composite example, built from patterns common to environmental records
      requests in Brazil. Dates and protocol numbers are illustrative. It shows the
      decision points, not a specific case.
      
      ---
      
      ## The reporting question
      
      Which companies were fined for illegal deforestation in a given state, how
      much was actually collected, and how many fines were annulled on appeal.
      
      That is three questions and at least two bodies. Filed as one request, it
      draws a "generic" denial within days.
      
      ## What was filed
      
      **Three separate requests, same day:**
      
      | # | Body | Object |
      | --- | --- | --- |
      | 1 | IBAMA | Autos de infração issued 01/01/2020–31/12/2024 in the state, CSV, with the fields already present in the agency's open-data release, plus the data dictionary |
      | 2 | IBAMA | Status of collection (arrecadação) for those autos, by auto number |
      | 3 | PGFN | Inscriptions in dívida ativa originating from IBAMA environmental fines, same period |
      
      Filing separately meant one denial could not sink the others, and all three
      20-day clocks ran in parallel.
      
      ## What came back
      
      **Request 1, partial.** A CSV arrived, but without the data dictionary and
      with the CPF/CNPJ column removed entirely.
      
      **Request 2, denied.** Ground: art. 13, III of Decree 7.724/2012, additional
      work of analysis and consolidation.
      
      **Request 3, granted**, in a format nobody wanted: a 400-page PDF.
      
      ## What was done about each
      
      **Request 1 → first-instance appeal.** Two arguments. First, CNPJ is not
      personal data, it identifies a legal entity, and IBAMA itself publishes
      sanctioned companies' CNPJs elsewhere. Second, on the individual CPFs, art. 7
      §2º requires partial access, so masking the CPF column and delivering the rest
      was the correct outcome, not deleting it. The data dictionary was requested
      again in the same appeal.
      
      *Result: CNPJ restored, CPF masked, dictionary delivered. This is the ordinary
      outcome, the personal-data objection is the most over-applied ground in
      Brazilian practice, and it rarely survives an appeal that cites art. 7 §2º.*
      
      **Request 2 → appeal, not refiling.** The "additional work" ground is the one
      worth fighting: the appeal argued the agency was being asked to export an
      existing field from an existing system, not to compute anything, and invoked
      art. 13, parágrafo único, which requires the agency, caso tenha conhecimento,
      to indicate where the source information is. The appeal asked the agency to
      state whether it had that knowledge and to identify the source if it did.
      
      *A refiling here would have conceded the point and started over.*
      
      **Request 3 → appeal on the format, within the 10-day window.** The agency
      had a CSV export in its own open-data release (see request 1), so the PDF was
      not full compliance, LAI art. 11 §5 entitles the requester to digitally
      stored information in that digital format. The appeal cited art. 11 §5
      alongside art. 8 §3º, II and III, and asked for the same content in CSV. A
      fresh request would have worked too, but it forfeits the shorter 10-day
      appeal clock for a new 20-day cycle with no guarantee of a better outcome.
      
      ## Timeline
      
      | Day | Event |
      | --- | --- |
      | 0 | Three requests filed |
      | 18 | Requests 1 and 3 answered |
      | 20 | Request 2 denied |
      | 22 | Appeals filed on 1, 2, and 3 |
      | 31 | Request 1 appeal granted in part |
      | 45 | Request 2 appeal granted after the agency was asked to locate the raw data; request 3 appeal granted, CSV received |
      
      Seven weeks from filing to usable data, with no denial reaching CGU. Planning
      the reporting on a two-month horizon rather than a two-week one was what made
      that acceptable.
      
      ## What this example is meant to teach
      
      1. Split the question before filing. Three narrow requests beat one broad one.
      2. Diagnose before responding. Appeal, refile, and file-new are three
         different tools, and using the wrong one costs weeks.
      3. The personal-data objection is usually over-applied. Cite art. 7 §2º.
      4. An unusable digital format is not full compliance when the agency already
         holds the data digitally. Appeal it under art. 11 §5 rather than treating
         it as granted.
      5. Ask for the data dictionary in the original request, not after.
      
  • templates
    • pedido-base-de-dados.md 2.6 KB
      # Pedido de base de dados
      *Database request*
      
      **Uso:** quando o objeto é uma base estruturada, não um documento. É o pedido
      com maior taxa de sucesso, porque não exige nenhum trabalho novo do órgão.
      *Use when the target is a structured dataset. Highest success rate, because
      it asks the agency to produce nothing new.*
      
      **Alcance:** a referência ao Decreto 7.724/2012 serve ao Poder Executivo
      federal. Para os demais órgãos, confirme a regra local.
      *Scope: the Decree 7.724/2012 reference applies to the federal executive.
      Check the local rule for other bodies.*
      
      ---
      
      Ao Serviço de Informação ao Cidadão (SIC) do(a) [ÓRGÃO]
      
      Com fundamento na Lei nº 12.527/2011, solicito cópia integral da base de
      dados [NOME DO SISTEMA OU DA BASE], mantida por este órgão, referente ao
      período de [DATA INICIAL] a [DATA FINAL].
      
      Especificamente, solicito:
      
      a) A exportação completa dos registros no formato digital já disponível
         [CSV, XLSX, JSON OU OUTRO],
         contendo os campos [LISTAR CAMPOS, se conhecidos, ou "todos os campos
         não protegidos por sigilo"];
      
      b) O dicionário de dados ou layout do arquivo, com a descrição de cada campo
         e de seus domínios de valores;
      
      c) A informação sobre a periodicidade de atualização da base e a data da
         última carga.
      
      Para o Poder Executivo federal, registro que o pedido se refere à extração de
      dados já existentes e estruturados, sem trabalho adicional de análise,
      interpretação ou consolidação, não incidindo a hipótese do art. 13, inciso III,
      do Decreto nº 7.724/2012.
      
      Manifesto minha anuência para receber a base no formato digital em que ela é
      mantida, nos termos do art. 11, §5º, da Lei nº 12.527/2011.
      
      Caso algum campo contenha dados pessoais protegidos, requeiro o fornecimento
      da base com a supressão exclusiva desses campos, preservados os demais.
      
      [NOME COMPLETO]
      [CPF ou outro documento de identificação válido]
      [ENDEREÇO FÍSICO OU ELETRÔNICO PARA COMUNICAÇÕES]
      [DATA]
      
      ---
      
      ## Notas de redação / Drafting notes
      
      - O parágrafo que antecipa o art. 13, III é deliberado: ele fecha a porta
        antes de o órgão abri-la.
        *The paragraph pre-empting art. 13 III is deliberate, it closes the door
        before the agency opens it.*
      - Se você já conhece os campos por uma publicação anterior do órgão, cite-a.
        Fica difícil alegar que a base não existe.
        *If a prior publication shows the fields, cite it. Hard to claim the
        dataset doesn't exist.*
      - Item (c) é o que permite pedir atualizações depois sem refazer tudo.
        *Item (c) is what lets you request refreshes later without starting over.*
      
    • pedido-inicial.md 3.5 KB
      # Pedido inicial de acesso à informação
      *Initial records request*
      
      **Uso:** formulário padrão para qualquer órgão. Preencha o que está entre
      colchetes e apague as instruções.
      *Use: standard form for any body. Fill the bracketed fields and delete the notes.*
      
      **Alcance:** as regras do Decreto 7.724/2012 neste modelo são para o Poder
      Executivo federal. Para os demais órgãos, confirme a regra local.
      *Scope: the Decree 7.724/2012 rules in this form apply to the federal executive.
      Check the local rule for other bodies.*
      
      **Regra de ouro:** não explique o motivo do pedido. O art. 10, §3º da Lei
      12.527/2011 proíbe que o órgão exija justificativa.
      *Golden rule: never state your reason. Art. 10 §3º forbids the agency from asking.*
      
      ---
      
      Ao Serviço de Informação ao Cidadão (SIC) do(a) [ÓRGÃO]
      
      Com fundamento na Lei nº 12.527/2011 (Lei de Acesso à Informação), solicito
      o acesso às seguintes informações:
      
      1. [DESCRIÇÃO ESPECÍFICA DO DOCUMENTO OU CONJUNTO DE DADOS, com recorte
         temporal explícito, ex.: "os autos de infração lavrados entre
         01/01/2020 e 31/12/2024"]
      
      2. [SE HOUVER: número do processo SEI ou protocolo, que elimina qualquer
         ambiguidade quanto ao objeto do pedido]
      
      Se as informações estiverem armazenadas em formato digital, manifesto minha
      anuência para recebê-las nesse formato, nos termos do art. 11, §5º, da Lei nº
      12.527/2011. Quando o pedido for de uma base de dados, solicito a exportação
      já existente em [CSV, XLSX OU OUTRO FORMATO DIGITAL DISPONÍVEL], com o
      dicionário de dados, se houver.
      
      Caso o órgão entenda que parte das informações solicitadas está protegida
      por sigilo ou por proteção de dados pessoais, requeiro o fornecimento das
      demais partes, com a supressão apenas dos elementos protegidos, nos termos
      do art. 7º, §2º, da Lei nº 12.527/2011.
      
      Caso este órgão não detenha as informações solicitadas, requeiro a indicação
      do órgão ou entidade que as detém, nos termos do art. 11, §1º, III, da
      Lei nº 12.527/2011.
      
      [NOME COMPLETO]
      [CPF ou outro documento de identificação válido]
      [ENDEREÇO FÍSICO OU ELETRÔNICO PARA COMUNICAÇÕES]
      [DATA]
      
      ---
      
      ## Notas de redação / Drafting notes
      
      - **Um pedido, um objeto.** Vários assuntos num único pedido facilitam a
        negativa por "genérico". Divida, cada pedido corre em paralelo.
        *One request, one object. Split broad questions; the clocks run in parallel.*
      - **Peça o dado bruto, não um relatório.** Para o Poder Executivo federal,
        pedir a exportação de uma base existente afasta a alegação de "trabalho
        adicional de análise" (art. 13, III, do Decreto 7.724/2012).
        *Ask for the raw export; it defeats the "additional analysis" objection.*
      - **Peça também o dicionário de dados** quando o objeto for uma base.
        *Ask for the data dictionary when requesting a database.*
      - O parágrafo sobre supressão parcial é o que impede a negativa total com
        base em um único campo pessoal. Não o remova.
        *The partial-redaction paragraph blocks a total denial based on one
        personal field. Keep it.*
      - **No Poder Executivo federal, o art. 12 do Decreto 7.724/2012 exige um
        documento de identificação válido e um endereço físico ou eletrônico para
        comunicações.** O documento não precisa ser CPF. Se o pedido for feito pelo
        Fala.BR com usuário já identificado, o campo pode ser dispensado.
        *Art. 12 requires a valid ID document, not CPF specifically. Drop the field
        if filing through an already-identified Fala.BR account.*
      
    • recurso-1a-instancia.md 4 KB
      # Recurso de primeira instância
      *First-instance appeal, to the immediate superior authority*
      
      **Prazo:** 10 dias contados da ciência da decisão (art. 15 da Lei 12.527/2011).
      O órgão deve decidir em 5 dias.
      *Deadline: 10 days from notice of the decision. The agency decides in 5.*
      
      **Alcance:** use este modelo para uma negativa fundamentada. No Poder
      Executivo federal, o silêncio segue a reclamação dos arts. 22 e 23 do Decreto
      7.724/2012. Os blocos (a) e (b) também são exclusivos desse Poder; para outro
      órgão, confirme a regra local.
      *Scope: use this form for a reasoned denial. Federal-executive silence uses the
      Decree 7.724/2012 complaint route. Check local rules for other bodies.*
      
      **Destinatário:** autoridade hierarquicamente superior à que proferiu a decisão.
      No Fala.BR isso é automático, basta acionar "Recorrer".
      *Addressee: the authority immediately above the one who decided. Fala.BR routes
      this automatically.*
      
      ---
      
      Ao(À) Senhor(a) Autoridade Hierarquicamente Superior
      
      Protocolo do pedido: [NÚMERO]
      Data do pedido: [DATA]
      Data da resposta: [DATA]
      
      Com fundamento no art. 15 da Lei nº 12.527/2011, interponho recurso contra a
      decisão que [negou o acesso / concedeu acesso parcial], pelas razões a seguir.
      
      **1. Do objeto do pedido**
      
      O pedido solicitou [RESUMO EM UMA FRASE]. A resposta recebida
      [negou o acesso sob o argumento de que ... / entregou apenas ...].
      
      **2. Das razões do recurso**
      
      [ESCOLHA O BLOCO APLICÁVEL E APAGUE OS DEMAIS]
      
      **a) Negativa por pedido genérico (art. 13, I, do Decreto 7.724/2012)**
      
      O pedido identificou o documento pretendido, o órgão detentor e o recorte
      temporal, não se enquadrando na hipótese de pedido genérico. A jurisprudência
      administrativa da CGU é firme no sentido de que a alegação de generalidade
      exige demonstração concreta, não bastando a mera afirmação.
      
      **b) Negativa por trabalho adicional (art. 13, III, do Decreto 7.724/2012)**
      
      O pedido versa sobre a extração de dados já existentes em base estruturada,
      o que não configura trabalho adicional de análise, interpretação ou
      consolidação. Subsidiariamente, o parágrafo único do mesmo artigo determina
      que o órgão, caso tenha conhecimento, indique o local onde se encontram as
      informações originais. Requeiro essa indicação, caso o órgão tenha esse
      conhecimento.
      
      **c) Negativa por proteção de dados pessoais**
      
      O art. 7º, §2º, da Lei nº 12.527/2011 determina o fornecimento da parte não
      sigilosa do documento mediante ocultação da parte protegida. A negativa
      integral, fundada na existência de dados pessoais em campos específicos,
      contraria a regra do acesso parcial. Requeiro a entrega com a supressão
      exclusiva dos campos [X e Y].
      
      **d) Negativa por sigilo / classificação**
      
      Requeiro, nos termos do art. 14 da Lei nº 12.527/2011, o inteiro teor da
      decisão de negativa, bem como cópia do termo de classificação da informação,
      com indicação do grau de sigilo, da data da classificação, do prazo de
      restrição e da autoridade classificadora. Sem esses elementos, não é possível
      verificar a regularidade da restrição.
      
      **3. Do pedido**
      
      Requeiro o provimento do recurso e o fornecimento das informações solicitadas
      no formato digital existente, quando estiverem armazenadas nesse formato.
      
      [NOME COMPLETO]
      [CPF ou outro documento de identificação válido]
      [DATA]
      
      ---
      
      ## Notas / Notes
      
      - Um recurso deve acrescentar um argumento, não repetir o pedido. Repetição é
        a causa mais comum de improvimento.
        *An appeal must add an argument. Restating the request is why most fail.*
      - O bloco (d) é o mais subestimado: exigir o termo de classificação
        frequentemente revela que a informação nunca foi formalmente classificada.
        *Block (d) is underused, demanding the classification instrument often
        reveals the information was never formally classified.*
      - Se o caso envolver conduta de agentes públicos com possível violação de
        direitos humanos, invoque o art. 21, parágrafo único, da LAI.
        *Where state agents' conduct implicating human rights is involved, cite
        art. 21.*
      
    • recurso-2a-instancia.md 3.1 KB
      # Recurso de segunda instância
      *Second-instance appeal, to the agency head*
      
      **Prazo:** 10 dias contados da ciência da decisão de primeira instância.
      **Destinatário:** autoridade máxima do órgão (ministro, presidente, diretor-geral).
      *Deadline: 10 days from notice. Addressee: the head of the agency.*
      
      **Alcance:** este segundo recurso e seu prazo são do Poder Executivo federal,
      nos termos do parágrafo único do art. 21 do Decreto 7.724/2012. Para estados,
      municípios, Judiciário, Legislativo e Ministério Público, confirme a regra local.
      *Scope: this second appeal and deadline apply to the federal executive. Check
      the local rule for other bodies.*
      
      Este é o último degrau interno. Depois dele, o recurso sai do órgão, vai à
      CGU, no caso do Executivo federal.
      *This is the last internal step. After it, the appeal leaves the agency.*
      
      ---
      
      À Autoridade Máxima do(a) [ÓRGÃO]
      
      Protocolo do pedido: [NÚMERO]
      Decisão de 1ª instância: [DATA E RESUMO EM UMA LINHA]
      
      Com fundamento na Lei nº 12.527/2011, interponho recurso de segunda instância
      contra a decisão que manteve a negativa de acesso.
      
      **1. Do que já foi decidido**
      
      A decisão de primeira instância manteve a negativa sob o fundamento de
      [FUNDAMENTO]. A decisão [não enfrentou o argumento de que ... / limitou-se a
      reproduzir a resposta original / inovou ao apresentar fundamento diverso do
      inicialmente invocado].
      
      **2. Do argumento não enfrentado**
      
      [DESENVOLVA AQUI O PONTO ESPECÍFICO QUE A DECISÃO ANTERIOR IGNOROU. Este é o
      núcleo do recurso: a segunda instância existe para corrigir o que a primeira
      não examinou, e não para reexaminar o pedido do zero.]
      
      **3. Da mudança de fundamento** *(quando aplicável)*
      
      A resposta inicial negou o acesso com base em [FUNDAMENTO A]; a decisão
      recorrida passou a invocar [FUNDAMENTO B]. A sucessão de fundamentos distintos
      para o mesmo pedido indica ausência de exame concreto do objeto solicitado.
      
      **4. Do interesse público na informação**
      
      [QUANDO CABÍVEL: relacione a informação a gasto público, contratação,
      fiscalização ou conduta de agente público. Não descreva a reportagem,
      descreva a natureza pública do dado.]
      
      **5. Do pedido**
      
      Requeiro a reforma da decisão e o fornecimento das informações no formato
      digital existente, quando estiverem armazenadas nesse formato, ou,
      subsidiariamente, o acesso parcial com supressão exclusiva dos elementos
      protegidos.
      
      [NOME COMPLETO]
      [CPF ou outro documento de identificação válido]
      [DATA]
      
      ---
      
      ## Notas / Notes
      
      - Ataque a decisão, não o pedido original. A pergunta desta instância é se a
        primeira decidiu corretamente.
        *Attack the decision, not your own request. The question here is whether the
        first instance got it right.*
      - A troca de fundamento entre instâncias é um dos argumentos mais eficazes na
        CGU depois. Registre-o aqui para poder invocá-lo lá.
        *A shifting rationale is a strong argument at CGU later. Put it on the
        record here so you can use it there.*
      - Item 4 nunca deve mencionar veículo, pauta ou prazo editorial.
        *Item 4 should never mention your outlet, story or deadline.*
      
    • recurso-cgu.md 3 KB
      # Recurso à CGU
      *Third-level appeal, Controladoria-Geral da União*
      
      **Prazo:** 10 dias contados da ciência da decisão da autoridade máxima
      (art. 16 da Lei 12.527/2011). A CGU deve decidir em 5 dias.
      **Alcance:** apenas órgãos e entidades do Poder Executivo federal.
      *Federal executive only. State and municipal denials do not reach CGU.*
      
      Este é o degrau onde jornalistas mais ganham. A CGU publica suas decisões, e
      elas formam um corpo de precedentes que pode ser citado.
      *This is where journalists most often win. CGU publishes its decisions,
      cite them.*
      
      ---
      
      À Controladoria-Geral da União
      
      Protocolo do pedido: [NÚMERO]
      Órgão: [ÓRGÃO]
      Decisões anteriores: [DATAS E FUNDAMENTOS, EM UMA LINHA CADA]
      
      Com fundamento no art. 16 da Lei nº 12.527/2011, interponho recurso contra a
      decisão da autoridade máxima do(a) [ÓRGÃO] que manteve a negativa de acesso.
      
      **1. Da hipótese de cabimento**
      
      O recurso se enquadra na hipótese de [ESCOLHA UMA]:
      
      - I, negativa de acesso à informação não classificada;
      - II, decisão de negativa de acesso total ou parcial a informação classificada
        sem indicação da autoridade classificadora ou da autoridade hierarquicamente
        superior competente para decidir sobre acesso ou desclassificação;
      - III, procedimentos de classificação de informação não foram observados; ou
      - IV, prazos ou outros procedimentos previstos nesta Lei não foram observados.
      
      Nos termos do art. 16 da Lei nº 12.527/2011, esta é a hipótese aplicável:
      [EXPLIQUE EM UMA FRASE].
      
      **2. Do histórico do pedido**
      
      | Etapa | Data | Fundamento invocado |
      | --- | --- | --- |
      | Pedido | | - |
      | Resposta | | |
      | 1ª instância | | |
      | 2ª instância | | |
      
      [A tabela é deliberada: ela torna visível, em um relance, a mudança de
      fundamentos ou o descumprimento de prazos.]
      
      **3. Das razões**
      
      [DESENVOLVA. Escolha um ou dois argumentos, não todos.]
      
      **4. Do precedente**
      
      A CGU já decidiu, no processo [NÚMERO / NUP], que [SÍNTESE DA DECISÃO
      ANTERIOR APLICÁVEL AO CASO].
      
      **5. Do pedido**
      
      Requeiro o provimento do recurso, com a determinação de fornecimento das
      informações no formato digital existente, quando estiverem armazenadas nesse
      formato.
      
      [NOME COMPLETO]
      [CPF ou outro documento de identificação válido]
      [DATA]
      
      ---
      
      ## Como achar o precedente / Finding the precedent
      
      Antes de escrever, pesquise decisões anteriores da CGU sobre o mesmo
      fundamento de negativa, na Busca de Pedidos e Respostas e nas bases de
      recursos da própria CGU. Um precedente citado corretamente vale mais que três
      parágrafos de argumentação nova.
      
      *Search CGU's published decisions for the same denial ground before writing.
      One correctly cited precedent beats three paragraphs of fresh argument.*
      
      Se o pedido envolver órgão estadual ou municipal, este recurso não se aplica:
      o último degrau costuma ser a controladoria ou ouvidoria local, e depois a via
      judicial.
      
      *For state or municipal bodies, this step does not exist, the last
      administrative stop is usually the local controladoria, then the courts.*
      
    • recurso-cmri.md 2.5 KB
      # Recurso à CMRI
      *Final administrative appeal, Comissão Mista de Reavaliação de Informações*
      
      **Prazo:** 10 dias contados da ciência da decisão da CGU
      (art. 16, §3º, da Lei 12.527/2011).
      **Natureza:** última instância administrativa. Depois dela, resta a via judicial.
      *Final administrative recourse. After this, only the courts.*
      
      **Expectativa realista:** a CMRI se reúne periodicamente e uma decisão pode
      levar muitos meses. Use quando a negativa cria um precedente ruim que vale a
      pena derrubar, não quando a reportagem tem data para sair.
      *Realistic expectation: months, not weeks. Worth it for precedent, not for
      a story on deadline.*
      
      ---
      
      À Comissão Mista de Reavaliação de Informações
      
      Protocolo do pedido: [NÚMERO]
      Órgão: [ÓRGÃO]
      Decisão da CGU: [NÚMERO E DATA]
      
      Com fundamento no art. 16, §3º, da Lei nº 12.527/2011, interponho recurso
      contra a decisão da Controladoria-Geral da União que manteve a negativa de
      acesso.
      
      **1. Da questão submetida**
      
      A controvérsia se resume a [UMA FRASE, a CMRI decide questões, não pedidos].
      
      **2. Da classificação da informação** *(quando for o caso)*
      
      A informação foi classificada como [GRAU] em [DATA], pela autoridade [X].
      Requeiro a reavaliação da classificação, nos termos da competência desta
      Comissão, considerando que [RAZÃO, por exemplo: decurso de tempo, cessação
      do risco invocado, ausência de dano concreto demonstrado, ou informação
      relativa a conduta de agentes públicos].
      
      **3. Do interesse público**
      
      [Descreva por que o acesso importa além do caso concreto: o precedente que a
      negativa cria, o volume de pedidos semelhantes, a natureza do gasto ou da
      conduta envolvida.]
      
      **4. Do pedido**
      
      Requeiro a reforma da decisão recorrida e, se for o caso, a desclassificação
      da informação, com o consequente fornecimento em formato aberto.
      
      [NOME COMPLETO]
      [CPF ou outro documento de identificação válido]
      [DATA]
      
      ---
      
      ## Notas / Notes
      
      - A CMRI tem competência específica sobre reavaliação de classificação de
        informações sigilosas. Enquadre o recurso nessa chave sempre que possível.
        *CMRI's specific competence is reviewing classification. Frame the appeal
        that way when you can.*
      - Escreva pensando no precedente, não apenas no seu pedido. A decisão será
        citada por outros repórteres.
        *Write for the precedent. Other reporters will cite the decision.*
      - Registre a data de protocolo e acompanhe as pautas de reunião, não há
        notificação confiável.
        *Log the filing date and watch the meeting agendas. Notification is
        unreliable.*
      
    • reformulacao-apos-negativa.md 3 KB
      # Reformulação após negativa
      *Refiling a denied request*
      
      **Quando reformular em vez de recorrer:** negativas por pedido genérico
      (art. 13, I) ou desproporcional (art. 13, II) do Decreto 7.724/2012 costumam
      ser resolvidas mais rápido com um pedido novo e mais estreito do que com um
      recurso. Um recurso pode levar meses; um pedido novo, 20 dias.
      
      **Alcance:** essas hipóteses do Decreto 7.724/2012 aplicam-se ao Poder
      Executivo federal. Para outro órgão, confirme a regra local antes de citar o
      Decreto.
      
      *When to refile rather than appeal: "generic" and "disproportionate" denials
      usually resolve faster with a narrower new request, 20 days versus months.*
      
      **Quando recorrer, e não reformular:** negativa por trabalho adicional
      (art. 13, III), por dados pessoais ou por sigilo. Nesses casos a negativa pode
      ser juridicamente frágil e vale contestá-la, inclusive porque o precedente
      serve para os próximos pedidos. Para silêncio no Poder Executivo federal, use
      uma reclamação, nos termos dos arts. 22 e 23 do Decreto 7.724/2012.
      
      *When to appeal instead: "additional work", personal data, or classification.
      Federal-executive silence uses the Decree complaint route.*
      
      Se houver dúvida, faça as duas coisas em paralelo. São processos
      independentes e não há custo.
      *If unsure, do both in parallel. They're independent and free.*
      
      ---
      
      Ao Serviço de Informação ao Cidadão (SIC) do(a) [ÓRGÃO]
      
      Com fundamento na Lei nº 12.527/2011, apresento novo pedido de acesso à
      informação, delimitado nos termos abaixo.
      
      **Referência:** o pedido protocolado sob o nº [NÚMERO] foi respondido com a
      alegação de [generalidade / desproporcionalidade]. O presente pedido reformula
      o objeto para afastar essa alegação.
      
      **Objeto delimitado:**
      
      a) Documento ou base: [NOME EXATO DO SISTEMA, RELATÓRIO OU CONJUNTO]
      b) Período: [DATA INICIAL] a [DATA FINAL]
      c) Unidade administrativa: [SETOR, SE CONHECIDO]
      d) Campos ou seções de interesse: [LISTAR]
      e) Formato: [FORMATO DIGITAL JÁ DISPONÍVEL]
      
      Caso o volume ainda seja considerado excessivo, requeiro o fornecimento
      parcelado, começando pelo período de [RECORTE MENOR], nos termos do que o
      próprio órgão indicar como exequível.
      
      [NOME COMPLETO]
      [CPF ou outro documento de identificação válido]
      [DATA]
      
      ---
      
      ## Como estreitar / How to narrow
      
      Reduza uma dimensão de cada vez, na seguinte ordem de eficácia:
      
      1. **Tempo**, de cinco anos para um ano
      2. **Unidade**, de todo o órgão para uma superintendência
      3. **Campos**, de "todos os dados" para seis colunas
      4. **Formato**, aceitar a exportação padrão do sistema, qualquer que seja
      
      *Narrow one dimension at a time: time, then unit, then fields, then format.*
      
      O oferecimento de fornecimento parcelado é importante: ele transfere ao órgão
      o ônus de dizer o que é viável, e uma resposta que rejeita até o recorte menor
      fica visivelmente frágil em eventual recurso.
      
      *Offering phased delivery matters, it shifts the burden to the agency, and a
      refusal even of the smallest slice looks weak on appeal.*
      
  • SKILL.md 15.6 KB
    ---
    name: brazil-records-requests
    description: Public records requests under Brazil's Access to Information Law (LAI). Use for Fala.BR filings, e-SIC, and CGU/CMRI appeals.
    ---
    
    # Brazilian public records requests (LAI)
    
    Brazil's Access to Information Law, Lei 12.527/2011, universally called the
    LAI, is one of the stronger transparency statutes in Latin America and one of
    the most under-used by reporters. Most denials are not legal defeats. They are
    drafting failures that a differently worded request would have avoided.
    
    This skill covers the full cycle: choosing the body, drafting, filing,
    tracking, and the four-level appeal chain.
    
    ## When to use
    
    - Drafting a request to any Brazilian government body
    - Deciding which body and which portal actually holds the records
    - Diagnosing a denial and deciding whether to appeal or refile
    - Writing an appeal at any of the four levels
    - Planning the timeline of an investigation that depends on records
    - Training reporters on LAI practice
    
    ## Do not use for
    
    - US records requests, use `foia-requests`
    - Court case data, which in Brazil is mostly public through other channels
      (DataJud, e-SAJ, PJe) and rarely needs a records request
    - Data already published under transparência ativa (see "Check first" below)
    
    ## Language
    
    Respond in the language the reporter writes in. Draft anything addressed to a
    Brazilian public body — the request itself, appeals, follow-ups — in
    Portuguese, whatever language the conversation is in.
    
    Portuguese is not a validity requirement: LAI art. 10 and Decree 7.724/2012
    art. 12 require the requester's identification and a description of the
    information, and neither mandates a language or authorizes denial for using
    another one. It is a practical one. The clerk reading the request works in
    Portuguese, and a request that is not understood gets bounced as generic
    under Decree 7.724, art. 13, I — which costs the full 20 days and a refile.
    Where the receiving body publishes its own filing rules, check them;
    subnational practice varies.
    
    ## Check first: is a request even necessary?
    
    Art. 8 of the LAI obliges agencies to publish core categories of information
    on their own initiative. Filing for something already public wastes 20 days
    and signals inexperience to the agency.
    
    Check, in order:
    
    1. **Portal da Transparência** (portaltransparencia.gov.br), federal spending,
       payroll, sanctions, benefits
    2. **Dados abertos** (dados.gov.br) and the agency's own open-data page
    3. **PNCP** (pncp.gov.br), federal, state and municipal procurement since 2021
    4. **Painel Lei de Acesso à Informação** (CGU), request statistics by agency
    5. **Busca de Pedidos e Respostas** (CGU), published federal responses can
       show how an agency describes its own data. Sensitive, personal, classified,
       or otherwise restricted information may be redacted or excluded. A missing
       result does not prove that no earlier request exists.
    6. **Achados e Pedidos** (achadosepedidos.org.br), Abraji and Transparência
       Brasil's archive of requests and responses across jurisdictions
    
    Step 5 is the single highest-value habit in Brazilian records work. Reading
    prior responses from the same agency teaches you its internal vocabulary,
    which is what determines whether your request is understood or bounced.
    
    ## Step 1: Identify the body and the portal
    
    There is no single filing system. The portal follows the body.
    
    | Body | Where to file |
    | --- | --- |
    | Federal executive (ministries, agencies, autarquias, federal state-owned firms) | **Fala.BR** (falabr.cgu.gov.br), gov.br login required |
    | States and the Federal District | Each state runs its own e-SIC; some have joined Fala.BR |
    | Municipalities | Municipal e-SIC; smaller cities often accept email or in-person only |
    | Judiciary | Each court's own SIC, under CNJ rules |
    | Ministério Público | Each MP's own SIC, under CNMP rules |
    | Legislature | Câmara, Senado, and each state assembly and city council run separate systems |
    
    Practical consequences:
    
    - **Filing with the wrong body costs the full 20 days.** The agency will
      answer that it does not hold the information, and under art. 11, §1º, III it
      should indicate who does, but frequently does not.
    - **When you are unsure which of two bodies holds the record, file with
      both.** There is no penalty and no cost.
    - **Sub-national practice is uneven.** Many municipal systems are broken,
      unstaffed, or require in-person filing. Budget extra time and keep evidence
      of failed filing attempts; that evidence supports later escalation.
    - **CGU and CMRI appeals only reach the federal executive.** For state and
      municipal denials, the last administrative step is usually the local
      controladoria or ouvidoria, and after that the courts.
    
    ## Step 2: Draft the request
    
    ### What the law lets you refuse to explain
    
    Art. 10 §3º forbids agencies from requiring the reasons for a request.
    
    Do not explain that you are a journalist, do not name the story, do not
    describe what you plan to do with the data. It is legally unnecessary and
    it invites the request to be routed to the press office instead of the
    records unit. Filing as a private citizen is normal practice.
    
    ### What the request must contain
    
    - Requester identification (name and a valid ID document, CPF is common but
      not mandated by art. 12; a user already identified on Fala.BR does not need
      to re-disclose it), anonymous filing is not available
    - A specific description of the information sought
    - The delivery format you want
    
    For a federal-executive request filed outside Fala.BR, add a physical or
    electronic address for communications. Decree 7.724/2012, art. 12, IV requires
    it. Other bodies can have different local rules.
    
    ### What makes a request survive
    
    Be specific about the record, not about the subject. Agencies hold documents
    and databases, not topics.
    
    | Weak | Strong |
    | --- | --- |
    | "All information about environmental fines" | "The complete IBAMA sanctions database (autos de infração) issued between 01/01/2020 and 31/12/2024, in CSV, containing the fields already published in the agency's open-data release" |
    | "Contracts with company X" | "The full text of contracts and their amendments signed between the ministry and CNPJ 00.000.000/0001-00 since January 2023, with contract numbers and SEI process numbers" |
    | "Documents about the decision" | "Process number 00000.000000/2024-00 in full, including technical opinions (notas técnicas) and dispatches" |
    
    Techniques that work:
    
    - **Ask for the database, not a report.** Requesting an existing table in CSV
      or XLSX avoids the "additional analysis work" objection, because the agency
      only has to export what it already has.
    - **Cite the SEI or process number** whenever you have one. It removes all
      ambiguity about scope.
    - **Bound the request by date and by field.** Unbounded requests draw the
      "disproportionate" objection.
    - **Ask for the data dictionary too.** A dump without field definitions often
      cannot be used.
    - **Split a broad question into several narrow requests.** Each is judged
      separately, so one refusal does not sink the rest, and each starts its own
      20-day clock in parallel.
    - **Ask for the existing digital format.** If the information is stored
      digitally, agree to receive it in that format under LAI art. 11 §5º. For a
      dataset, request its existing CSV, XLSX, or other digital export. Do not
      demand conversion of a document that exists only as a PDF.
    
    Use `templates/pedido-inicial.md` for the general form and
    `templates/pedido-base-de-dados.md` when the target is a database.
    
    ## Step 3: Deadlines
    
    Under art. 11:
    
    - **Immediate**, when the information is readily available
    - Otherwise **20 days** to grant access, state the reasons for refusal, or
      say the body does not hold the information and indicate who does
    - **Extendable once, by 10 days**, with express written justification
      communicated to the requester (art. 11 §2º)
    
    So the realistic worst case for a first answer is 30 days. Silence does not
    route through the same channel as a reasoned denial, see "Step 5: The
    appeal chain" for the federal-executive procedure (reclamação, not a direct
    appeal).
    
    Service is free; agencies may charge only for reproduction costs, and
    low-income requesters are exempt on declaration (art. 12).
    
    Plan investigations backwards from this: a request filed in March with a full
    appeal chain may not resolve until August.
    
    ## Step 4: Diagnose the denial
    
    Almost all denials fall into a few categories. The right response differs
    for each, appealing a denial that should have been refiled wastes months.
    
    Decree 7.724/2012 applies only to the federal executive. The first three
    grounds below use that Decree. For state, municipal, judicial, legislative,
    and Ministério Público bodies, check the local rule before characterizing a
    denial or citing the Decree.
    
    | Denial | Basis | Response |
    | --- | --- | --- |
    | Generic request | Federal executive: Decree 7.724/2012, art. 13, I | **Refile**, narrowed. Faster than appealing. |
    | Disproportionate or unreasonable | Federal executive: Decree 7.724, art. 13, II | **Refile** in slices, or appeal if the volume claim is implausible |
    | Requires additional analysis, interpretation or consolidation of data | Federal executive: Decree 7.724, art. 13, III | **Appeal.** If it knows where the source information is, the agency must identify that location (art. 13, parágrafo único). Ask it to state whether it has that knowledge and to identify the source if it does. |
    | Personal data | LAI art. 31 | **Appeal**, requesting the record with personal fields redacted. Partial access is the rule, full withholding the exception. |
    | Classified | LAI arts. 23–24 | **Appeal**, demanding the classification instrument (termo de classificação), its date, level and authority. The maximum restriction periods are 5 years for reservada, 15 for secreta, and 25 for ultrassecreta. Check whether an earlier event ends the restriction. |
    | Body does not hold it | LAI art. 11, §1º, III | Ask which body does, the agency is required to say, then refile there |
    | Silence (federal executive) | Decree 7.724/2012, arts. 22–23 | **Reclamação** to the monitoring authority, not a direct appeal, see Step 5. |
    | Silence (other spheres) | Local LAI regulation | Usually an immediate appeal under LAI art. 15; confirm the state, municipal, judicial or legislative body's own rule, Decree 7.724/2012 binds the federal executive only. |
    
    Two provisions worth knowing by heart:
    
    - **Art. 21**: information necessary to the judicial or administrative defense
      of fundamental rights cannot be withheld, and information about conduct
      implicating human rights violations by state agents cannot be restricted.
      This defeats many classification claims in cases involving police,
      military or prison records.
    - **Art. 14**: you are entitled to the full text of the denial decision.
      Request it. Agencies often refuse informally, by email, without a formal
      decision that can be appealed, demanding the decision forces the issue.
    
    ## Step 5: The appeal chain
    
    **A reasoned denial** goes up four administrative levels. Each has its own
    window, and missing one closes the chain.
    
    ```
    Reasoned denial
       │  10 days to file
       ▼
    1. Immediate superior authority          → decides in 5 days   (LAI art. 15)
       │  10 days
       ▼
    2. Agency head (autoridade máxima)       → decides in 5 days
       │  10 days
       ▼
    3. CGU, federal executive only          → decides in 5 days   (LAI art. 16)
       │  10 days
       ▼
    4. CMRI, final administrative recourse  (LAI art. 16 §3º)
    ```
    
    **Silence from a federal executive body** does not enter that chain directly.
    It goes through a separate reclamação step first:
    
    ```
    Silence past the deadline (30 days after filing, at the earliest)
       │  10 days to file
       ▼
    1. Reclamação to the monitoring authority → decides in 5 days  (Decree 7.724/2012, art. 22)
       │  if unsuccessful, 10 days
       ▼
    2. Recurso to CGU                         → decides in 5 days  (Decree 7.724/2012, art. 23)
       │  10 days
       ▼
    3. CMRI, final administrative recourse   (LAI art. 16 §3º)
    ```
    
    For state, municipal, judicial and legislative bodies, Decree 7.724/2012 does
    not apply, check whether the local LAI regulation has an equivalent
    reclamação step, or whether silence is appealed directly under LAI art. 15.
    
    Notes from practice:
    
    - The 5-day decision windows are routinely missed. Escalate on expiry rather
      than waiting.
    - **CGU is where journalists win.** Its published decisions are a body of
      precedent you can cite. Search prior CGU rulings on the same denial ground
      and quote them in your appeal.
    - **CMRI is slow.** It meets periodically and a decision can take many
      months. It is worth using for precedent-setting refusals, less so when the
      story has a deadline.
    - Each appeal should add an argument, not repeat the last one. Restating the
      original request is the most common reason appeals fail.
    - Consult the outlet's lawyers promptly if a judicial remedy may be needed. A
      mandado de segurança has a 120-day period from notice of the challenged act
      (Lei 12.016/2009, art. 23). Track that deadline in parallel with the
      administrative process. The outlet's lawyers decide whether the remedy fits.
    
    Templates: `recurso-1a-instancia.md`, `recurso-2a-instancia.md`,
    `recurso-cgu.md`, `recurso-cmri.md`.
    
    ## Step 6: Track everything
    
    Keep a log per request. Protocol numbers are the only reliable identifier,
    and Fala.BR does not notify reliably.
    
    ```markdown
    ## Request log
    
    **Protocol:** [Fala.BR / e-SIC number]
    **Body:** [agency]
    **Filed:** [date]
    **Statutory deadline:** [filed + 20 days]
    **Extended to:** [+10 days, if invoked, note the justification given]
    **Status:** [pending / granted / partial / denied / appealed]
    **Denial ground cited:** [article and text]
    **Appeal level:** [1 / 2 / CGU / CMRI]
    **Next deadline:** [date, and whose]
    **Files received:** [paths]
    ```
    
    Publishing the request and the response afterwards, through Achados e
    Pedidos or the outlet's own site, is standard practice in Brazilian
    investigative work and helps the next reporter. Before publishing, redact
    CPFs, home addresses, and any other personal field the agency did not
    already withhold under LAI art. 31, a public record is not automatically a
    public-interest publication, and this is especially true for victim,
    witness, and juvenile identifiers. LGPD does not apply to processing carried
    out exclusively for journalistic purposes (LGPD art. 4, II, a). That exclusion
    does not remove editorial, ethical, or other applicable legal duties to
    safeguard personal data.
    
    ## Working with what comes back
    
    - Responses often arrive as PDFs of screenshots of tables. Where the agency
      stores the information digitally, agree to receive that existing format under
      art. 11 §5º. If the agency will not budge, extract and document the process.
    - Check the response against the request field by field. Partial delivery
      presented as full delivery is common, and the 10-day appeal clock starts
      from receipt.
    - Preserve the original file exactly as received, before any cleaning. It is
      the evidence that the agency provided it.
    
    ## Statutory currency
    
    The core citations here are Lei 12.527/2011 and Decree 7.724/2012 (federal
    executive regulation). Both have been amended, and state and municipal
    regulations vary. Verify article numbers against the current consolidated
    text on planalto.gov.br before relying on them in an appeal, and check
    current CGU guidance for procedural changes to Fala.BR.
    
    Related Brazilian statutes that intersect: Lei 13.709/2018 (LGPD),
    Lei 13.460/2017 (users of public services), Lei 14.129/2021 (digital
    government).
    
    ## Contributor credit
    
    Reinaldo Chaves ([@reichaves](https://github.com/reichaves)) contributed this
    skill in [PR #267](https://github.com/jamditis/claude-skills-journalism/pull/267).
    

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