U.S. Sanctions Brazilian Judge Who Set Precautionary Measures to Bolsonaro
Judge Alexandre de Moraes. X/ @crushdobbb20
July 30, 2025 Hour: 1:43 pm
Previously, Justice Alexandre De Moraes oversaw the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury added Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes to the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.
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More specifically, the administration of President Donald Trump sanctioned him under the Global Magnitsky Act, which Washington uses to target those it considers the world’s worst human rights violators.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused De Moraes of being “responsible for a repressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate human rights, and politicized prosecutions, including against former President Jair Bolsonaro.”
Bessent also warned that the U.S. “will continue to hold accountable those who threaten American interests and the freedoms of our citizens.”
Theologian Antonio Costa’s text reads, “I want to publicly express my total solidarity with Judge Alexandre de Moraes. The Brazilian State has the duty to protect him. And the people have the responsibility to ensure he feels protected. If there is something to discuss in our democracy, let it be discussed within the framework of the Constitution, never under the imperialist blackmail of a foreign president.”
Previously, Alexandre de Moraes imposed precautionary measures on Bolsonaro, who is being prosecuted for the 2023 attempted coup, including an electronic ankle bracelet and a ban on social media.
The OFAC resolution freezes all of De Moraes’ assets in the United States and prohibits any financial transactions between him and U.S. citizens or companies.
In early July, the U.S. had already revoked the visas of De Moraes and his family, marking an unprecedented escalation of retaliation against a judge who resisted pressure from the Brazilian far right.
“The sanctions are a marked escalation of the increasingly tense dispute between the U.S. and Brazil over Trump ally Bolsonaro, with major tariffs looming as soon as Friday as well,” the outlet Axios noted.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: EFE – OFAC
