Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro speaks during the launch of Alexandre Ramagems pre-candidacy for the Rio de Janeiro mayoral elections in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 16, 2024. - Despite a raft of criminal probes, Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro pulls in crowds across the country -- seemingly unbothered by claims he helped incite an attempted coup. Like Donald Trump in the United States, 69-year-old Bolsonaro has retained a core supporter base in a deeply divided nation, even as his legal troubles have multiplied. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP)
The United States has revoked the visa of a prominent Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice, Alexandre de Moraes, following his recent actions against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
In a statement issued on Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Moraes of orchestrating a “political witch hunt” against Bolsonaro. Rubio claimed the judge’s campaign of “persecution and censorship” not only infringes on Brazilians’ fundamental rights but also extends its impact beyond Brazil’s borders, allegedly targeting American interests.
Rubio further announced that the visa restrictions would affect other judges aligned with Moraes on the Supreme Federal Court, including members of their immediate families.
Moraes, a longstanding adversary of Bolsonaro — who remains a close ally of former US President Donald Trump — has been embroiled in legal battles with the ex-president. Both Trump and Bolsonaro have repeatedly alleged political persecution and have been critical of judiciary decisions against them.
Bolsonaro is facing accusations of plotting a coup, drawing parallels with the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot by Trump supporters in Washington DC. The visa move coincided with Moraes imposing strict restrictions on Bolsonaro, including the mandatory use of an electronic ankle monitor, a night-time curfew, and a ban on social media use.
Separately, Trump has announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, intensifying pressure on the South American nation now governed by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
