The Trump administration sanctioned the authoritarian Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes

The Donald Trump administration imposed sanctions against the authoritarian judge of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court, Alexandre de Moraes, who has been accused of ordering preventive detentions without justification and restricting freedom of expression.

De Moraes is leading a political persecution against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under investigation for allegedly organizing a supposed "attempted coup d'état."

United States President Donald Trump had already linked the possibility of imposing new tariffs on Brazil to what he described as a "witch hunt" against his conservative ally. The sanction was announced shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in June that Washington was considering taking action against De Moraes.

Alexandre de Moraes was sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act, a regulation that authorizes the United States to impose financial sanctions on foreign nationals involved in acts of corruption or human rights violations.

The sanctions applied to Alexandre de Moraes include the freezing of his assets and interests within United States jurisdiction, as well as a prohibition for United States citizens to conduct any type of financial or commercial transaction with him.

"Moraes has investigated, persecuted, and suppressed those who have engaged in speech protected by the United States Constitution, repeatedly subjecting victims to lengthy preventive detentions without filing charges," the Treasury Department stated in an official release.

In one of his latest decisions, Moraes ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to wear an electronic ankle monitor and banned him from accessing social media. He was also prohibited from giving interviews to the media, speaking with his own son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, having dialogue with foreign diplomats, or approaching embassies of other countries.

Scott Bessent's message

On his X account, United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the measure: "Today, the Treasury is sanctioning Brazil's Supreme Federal Court judge, Alexandre de Moraes, who has used his position to authorize arbitrary preventive detentions and suppress freedom of expression."

"Alexandre de Moraes is responsible for a repressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate human rights, and politicized prosecutions, including against former President Jair Bolsonaro," Bessent explained.

He concluded with a stern warning: "The Treasury will continue to hold accountable those who threaten United States interests and those who impose limits on our freedoms."