WASHINGTON, D.C., December 13 (ANI): The United States on Friday lifted sanctions against a Brazilian Supreme Court justice who had presided over the conviction and imprisonment of former President Jair Bolsonaro for attempting to overturn the country’s 2022 election, The New York Times reported.
The U.S. government had imposed sanctions on Justice Alexandre de Moraes in July under the Global Magnitsky Act after the case against Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, was brought. The Magnitsky Act allows the United States to impose asset freezes and travel bans on foreigners accused of serious human rights abuses or corruption. Sanctions had also targeted Moraes’ wife, Viviane Barci de Moraes, and her law-training firm, Instituto Lex.
According to a notice issued by the Treasury Department on Friday, Justice Moraes, his wife, and her firm were removed from the sanctions registry. A senior Trump administration official told The New York Times that maintaining the designation was no longer consistent with U.S. foreign policy interests. Brazil’s Supreme Court did not immediately comment on the decision.
Speaking at an event in São Paulo attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Justice Moraes said, “The truth prevailed today, Mr. President. The Brazilian judiciary did not bow to threats or coercion, and it will not do so, continuing to act with impartiality, seriousness, and courage.”
Lula said, “I was very happy about it. It was not right for the president of another country to punish a justice of Brazil’s Supreme Court simply for carrying out the Brazilian Constitution.”
Justice Moraes has aggressively targeted perceived threats to democracy in Brazil, though some of his actions, including ordering the jailing of individuals for social media posts, were criticized as anti-democratic, according to The New York Times. He also faced sharp criticism from Trump for overseeing Bolsonaro’s trial. Bolsonaro was arrested on charges of orchestrating a coup plot and allegedly planning to poison Lula, who defeated him in the 2022 election. Bolsonaro denied the allegations, claiming the police investigation misrepresented his efforts to study “ways within the Constitution” to remain in power.
Trump described the prosecution of Bolsonaro as a “witch hunt” in a letter to Lula and accused Brazil’s Supreme Court of unlawful censorship targeting U.S. social media companies. Amid rising tensions, Trump imposed tariffs on Brazilian exports, including steel and agricultural goods. Brazil is the world’s second-largest coffee supplier to the U.S. and a significant beef exporter, and U.S. coffee prices rose sharply amid tariffs and weather-related shortages.
Tensions eventually eased following diplomatic talks, including phone conversations between the two presidents. Trump later said, “We had a very good talk. I like him.”
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told reporters on Friday that the lifting of sanctions had been requested by Lula as part of ongoing negotiations with U.S. officials. “It was a long negotiation, but it was done,” Vieira said.
Allies of Bolsonaro criticized the U.S. decision. Eduardo Bolsonaro, a son of the former president, said he was “saddened” by the lifting of sanctions but expressed hope that Trump’s decision would succeed in defending what he called the strategic interests of the United States. Eduardo Bolsonaro, a federal lawmaker living in the U.S. since March, has said he does not plan to return to Brazil, citing alleged political persecution.
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