US Representative Maria Elvira-Salazar (R-FL) has requested President Donald Trump impose sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Justice Moraes is notorious for making unilateral rulings curtailing free speech and investigating former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Representative Salazar has previously criticized Moraes’s rulings and claims he uses judicial authority to promote progressive policy.
“This radical judge has turned Brazil’s Supreme Court into a political weapon, silencing opponents, censoring Americans, and shutting down free speech platforms,” said Salazar.
Consequently, Salazar asked President Trump to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on Moraes.
Magnitsky sanctions authorize the US President to freeze the assets, cancel the visas, and take other punitive measures against individuals the President considers are corrupt and violating human rights.
“Alexandre De Moraes is a direct threat to political freedom in Brazil and across our hemisphere,” continued Salazar.
Moraes’s role curtailing free speech and presiding over several cases targeting President Bolsonaro have recently angered conservatives across the world.
Last September, Moraes incited conservative backlash after he upheld a law banning Elon Musk’s ‘X’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio formerly condemned Moraes’s ruling and urged Brazil’s government to abrogate the X ban.
“For the sake of basic freedoms and our bilateral relationship, Brazil should rectify this authoritarian move,” said then-Senator Marco Rubio.
Now, Moraes could sentence Bolsonaro to jail as the latter is tried in a series of cases dealing with election-day riots and protests.
While Trump recently pledged to impose 50% tariffs on Brazil due to Bolsonaro’s trial and free speech violations, Salazar is requesting more action.
“The United States must act now: freeze his assets, revoke his visa, and send a loud, clear message, we will not tolerate authoritarian judges persecuting political opposition and attacking liberty,” expounded Salazar.
Trump has yet to announce further retaliatory measures since threatening Brazil with tariffs.
