Washington, D.C. [US], July 19 (ANI): The United States on Friday revoked the visa of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case against former President Jair Bolsonaro, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two nations, The Washington Post reported.
The move comes after Moraes imposed strict measures on Bolsonaro — including an ankle monitor, prohibitions on foreign contacts, and house arrest outside daylight hours — following allegations that Bolsonaro sought U.S. support to destabilize Brazil, the report said. Moraes also barred Bolsonaro from communicating with foreign governments and individuals under investigation, intensifying scrutiny of Brazil’s judiciary and its handling of the case.
U.S. Secretary of State and current President Donald Trump defended the visa revocation as a response to what he called a “political witch hunt” against Bolsonaro, claiming it violated basic rights and represented judicial overreach beyond Brazil’s borders, The Washington Post added. The sanctions reportedly also apply to Moraes’s allies and their immediate family members.
The unprecedented diplomatic rift comes amid a broader dispute over trade. On July 9, President Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian imports, citing concerns over suppression of free speech under Moraes’s leadership, according to the report.
Moraes has led an aggressive campaign against online misinformation, ordering the takedown of more than 100 social media accounts — a move Bolsonaro supporters have criticized as an abuse of power and political persecution. Moraes accuses Bolsonaro and his son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, of conspiring with foreign powers to intimidate Brazil’s judiciary, a charge Eduardo dismissed as part of a pattern of authoritarian behavior by the court.
Legal analysts expressed skepticism over the U.S.’s use of the Magnitsky Act — a sanctions law designed to target human rights abuses — against Moraes, calling its application in this case questionable, The Washington Post reported.
Despite the escalating dispute, it remains unclear how much the visa revocation will affect Moraes personally or his ability to travel abroad.
Meanwhile, both nations have continued to dig in. Bolsonaro and his supporters have stepped up calls for more U.S. intervention, including further sanctions under the Magnitsky framework. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, by contrast, has condemned Bolsonaro’s allies as “traitors to national interests,” escalating the domestic political fight.
The growing discord highlights deepening fractures between Brazil and its longtime ally, with political, trade, and judicial disagreements showing little sign of resolution. (ANI)
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