The US Department of the Treasury has said it was imposing sanctions on Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over alleged suppression of freedom of expression and the ongoing trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro is accused of masterminding a plot to stay in power despite his 2022 election defeat to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. US President Donald Trump has tied new tariffs on Brazil to what he called a “witch hunt” against his right-wing ally.
The announcement on Wednesday of sanctions against Moraes, who oversees Bolsonaro’s case, follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement in June saying Washington was considering sanctioning the judge.
Moraes was sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act, which allows the US to impose economic penalties against foreigners it considers to have a record of corruption or human rights abuses.
“Alexandre de Moraes has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against US and Brazilian citizens and companies,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “De Moraes is responsible for an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate human rights, and politicized prosecutions – including against former President Jair Bolsonaro.”
The decision orders the freezing of any assets or property Moraes may have in the US.
Brazil’s Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Moraes recently ordered Bolsonaro to wear an ankle bracelet and stop using social media over allegations that he courted the interference from Trump.
Earlier this month, Washington escalated tensions with the government of Latin America’s largest economy, imposing US visa restrictions on Moraes, his family and other unnamed court officials.
Brazilian President Lula denounced that move as “arbitrary” and “baseless,” and said foreign interference in the judiciary was “unacceptable”. The left-wing leader said in a statement that the US action violated fundamental principles of respect and sovereignty between nations.
The visa bans were a response to the Supreme Court’s decision to issue search warrants and restraining orders targeting Bolsonaro, who is accused of plotting a coup to overturn the results of a 2022 election he lost.
In a letter in mid-July, when Trump announced a 50-percent tariff on Brazilian goods starting August 1, he opened the message with criticism of Bolsonaro’s prosecution.
Bolsonaro has denied that he led an attempt to overthrow the government but has acknowledged taking part in meetings aimed at reversing the election’s outcome.
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