The United States Treasury has imposed sanctions on Alexandre de Moraes, the Brazilian Supreme Court judge overseeing the trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro, prompting accusations from allies of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of a “direct attack on Brazilian democracy”. The measure was announced on Wednesday by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, shortly before President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports, citing the Brazilian government’s “politically motivated persecution” of Bolsonaro.
Moraes, widely credited with helping to protect Brazilian democracy from a 2022 rightwing coup attempt, is presiding over the trial in which Bolsonaro faces charges of seeking to seize power after losing the 2022 election. The sanctions, issued under the Magnitsky Act, accuse Moraes of “an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate human rights and politicised prosecutions”. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move served as a warning to those who “trample on the fundamental rights of their countrymen”.
The sanctions were welcomed by Bolsonaro’s family and supporters. His son, congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, who has been lobbying the Trump administration in Washington, wrote on X: “We Brazilians will never forget this action of yours.” In a video he declared a feeling of “mission accomplished”, while vowing that the journey would not end there.
Members of Lula’s government reacted with outrage. José Guimarães, a congressman from the Workers’ Party, called the sanctions “a direct attack on Brazilian democracy and sovereignty”, adding that Brazil would not accept foreign interference in its justice system. Gleisi Hoffmann, a senior minister and close Lula ally, described the move as a “violent and arrogant act” and expressed the government’s “utter repudiation”.
Conservative politicians also criticised the measure. João Amoêdo, a founder of the rightwing Partido Novo, called it “an unacceptable attempt at foreign interference”. Eduardo Leite, the conservative governor of Rio Grande do Sul, said he could not accept another country trying to interfere in Brazilian institutions. The sanctions come as hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters face trial for the 8 January 2023 riots in Brasília, when the Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace were stormed.
