(Compass) – An appeals court in Sao Paulo , Brazil , has ruled to reverse the conviction last year of two Christian evangelists for violating Brazil ’s “hate crime” law. The landmark case involving evangelicals and Afro-Brazilian spiritists is the first to test a federal law declaring it a crime to “practice, induce, or incite discrimination” against members of another religion. Umbanda and Candomble spiritist groups brought criminal charges more than two years ago against Baptist pastor Joaquim de Andrade and Anglican Aldo dos Santos , claiming that gospel tracts they distributed at the annual Iemanja festival disparaged the African deity, and therefore violated the federal law. In April 2003, the men were found guilty of the charges, but they refused to pay the fine imposed and appealed the verdict. “The tribunal recognized … that the right to testify and evangelize does exist,” Andrade said. “We can certainly continue evangelistic work on the beaches, in the streets, in plazas and through all communications media in Brazil .”