The United States issued further financial sanctions on Wednesday, July 30, against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the trial of President Donald Trump's far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro, Brazil's former far-right president, is on trial for allegedly plotting a coup to cling to power after losing the 2022 election to leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Trump has inserted himself into the trial, accusing Brazilian authorities of conducting a witch hunt. His administration has already imposed visa restrictions on Moraes over the case, and Trump announced 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports, citing, in part, the treatment of Bolsonaro.
"Moraes has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against US and Brazilian citizens and companies," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement announcing the sanctions, which follow similar State Department action earlier this month.
A US Treasury statement announcing the new sanctions accused Moraes of using "his position to authorize arbitrary pre-trial detentions and suppress freedom of expression."
Moraes has repeatedly clashed with Bolsonaro and other right-wing figures in Brazil, and has played a controversial role in fighting alleged online disinformation. Last year, he ordered the shutdown of tech titan Elon Musk's social media platform, X, in Brazil for 40 days, for failing to tackle the spread of disinformation that had mainly been shared by Bolsonaro supporters.
Trump's private media company has also sued Moraes over his social media-related orders.
The US Treasury cited the Magnitsky Act for the sanctions. This act freezes US-based assets and bars travel to the country for foreign officials accused of human rights abuses or corruption.