US sanctions Brazil’s Supreme Court justice overseeing case against Bolsonaro

By ELÉONORE HUGHES

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday 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.

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Bolsonaro is accused of masterminding a plot to stay in power despite his 2022 election defeat to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Moraes oversees that case.

“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,” U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a statement.

The decision orders the freezing of any assets or property de Moraes may have in the U.S.

Brazil’s Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wednesday’s announcement follows the U.S. State Department’s announcement of visa restrictions on Brazilian judicial officials, including de Moraes, on July 18.

It also comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian imported goods that is set to come into effect on Friday. In a letter announcing the tariff on July 9, Trump explicitly linked the import tax to what he called the “witch hunt” trial of Bolsonaro currently underway in Brazil.

Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, was hosted by the then-U.S. President at his Mar-a-Lago resort when both were in power in 2020.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america