Yes, I posted this translation and and it was copied onto facebook. It's on the other thread.
I just got off the phone with my aunt in Brazil. She said she just saw the Fantastico commercial about this, and I asked her about Epoca. She hasn't read it, but from the moment she heard that the stepdad was a "Lins & Silva", she felt sorry for David to go against him. She said she's praying for the boy, because the family brainwashed him (her words, I hadn't said anything about the article yet).
Now, please understand my aunt is the kind of people who would probably believe the article and say the boy was better off in Brazil. I's glad I spoke to her about this, because on Monday people will talk about Fantastico everywhere and she'll be able to say "it's not really like that, you don't know the whole story".
Here's my take after reading the full piece, guys: the general purpose and goal of the PR piece is to make sure that everyone understands that Sean is way too confortable with his current situation to be bothered with yet another life-changing experience.
It takes for granted how well-adjusted he is and how he will never make it in the U.S. with adults he barely knows. In addition, how unfair it is that a kid is paying the price for an adults' and governments's fightings in courts when he's got his life absolutely settled in Brazil in a way it just can't be in the U.S. anymore.
The story goes on to clearly state that Sean refers to David as "David" and to JPLS as "Dad", but that was Sean himself that spontaneously came up with this arrangement and is confortable with it.
The writer, who is, by the way, a very reputable editor for the magazine, makes a strong case for Sean to stay as he is, and strongly implies that David and the Brazilian family settle at the courts to whichever visitation arrangement is possible under the circumstances.
And that all the diplomats, governments or judges must do at this point is to make sure the well-being of the kid is all that matters.
I did not see much slander against David or gossip or details about sex life or other cheap shots, as this was not their main goal: the goal was to put Sean at center-stage as this happy kid whose life will definitely be ruined, no matter how he came to Brazil and how the adults and judges and diplomats and presidents have and will have managed his custody battle.
That's my general feeling of the full PR piece aka the Epoca cover story for this week.
How did the Epoca manage to get rid of the Hague Convention's provisions for an expedite reunion? With a lie. It briefly went through the bad wording of Art. 12 cheaply concluding that, since an expedite reunion did not happen, then the exception of "best interest of the kid after one year has elapsed" applies. And when we know that's not what article 12 means at all.
As I learned doing homework for this case, Art. 12 does apparently forfeits the right of the left-behind parent to be reunited if he or she fails to take legal action for reunion and a year of "adjusting to the new country" has elapsed.
However, as we also know,that's not what Art. 12 of the Convention says at all. It says that even after one year has elapsed without the left-behind parent seeking no legal action (which is not the case here), he or she still has a chance or reunion, as long as the child is not already settled.
This exception was wrongly applied in Brazilian courts in this case, and that seems to be the main goal of the Federal Union and David, as plaintiffs, in the Federal Court that has just been finally appointed as having jurisdiction over the case and which will discuss the Hague Convention as it should have been.
To sum it up, the PR piece is Sean's call saying: "leave me alone for now, I'm fine, and, please, whichever decision you guys make, make it when I'm old enough to make my own voice be heard in court. And, by the way, David, you seem a nice fellow and all, but I don't quite know you anymore, I'm with a new family and fine with them, so why should I live with you?"
At the end of the day, a very weak story from the legal point of view. The point is to turn public opinion, which has indeed turned 50-50 by now tomorrow's feature in Fantastico will turn much more of Brazilian public opinion against David almost immediately.
But you all know what? I doubt any of it will play such a strong tune with the judges and justices that will review the matter from now on.
The desperation with losing a court battle the LeS thought they could swiftly win in the end is abundantly apparent in Epoca's piece. This is why is so focused on Sean himself.
And as someone ele so truly mentioned earlier here, the LeS would have not bother to spend an awful lot of money on PR if they thought they were still safe in the courts.
In any case, let's see how Fantastico's editing is going to turn out, and keep those nice, polite e-mails coming in to their mailboxes kindly asking for a fair editing.
