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Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has blasted Donald Trump for his “arbitrary” and “baseless” sanctions against officials involved in the trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
In a statement released on Saturday, Lula said the sanctions, which included the revocation of travel visas for a number of Supreme Court judges, were a violation of international norms of respect, as well as Brazil’s sovereignty.
“I am certain that no form of intimidation or threat, from anyone, will compromise the most important mission of Brazil’s powers and institutions, which is to permanently defend and uphold the democratic rule of law,” Lula said.
On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions on X.
“@POTUS made clear that his administration will hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,” Rubio wrote.
“Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro created a persecution and censorship complex so sweeping that it not only violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil’s shores to target Americans.
“I have therefore ordered visa revocations for Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members effective immediately.”
In a recent post on Truth Social, President Trump said Brazil “is doing a terrible thing” to Bolsonaro, who has been banned from running for political office until 2030 and faces a Supreme Court trial for his role in an “attempted coup” to overturn the 2022 election, something he strenuously denies.
“This is nothing, more, or less, than an attack on a Political Opponent—Something I know much about,” Trump continued in his post.
Trump then said he would be “watching the WITCH HUNT of Jair Bolsonaro, his family, and thousands of supporters, very closely,” before warning, “LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE.”
Sec. Rubio’s announcement was greeted with thanks by Eduardo Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, who wrote on X, “Brazilians thanks [sic] you, Mr. Secretary! Thank you very much for this fight in favor of free speech, we do believe in the same values.”
The full list of individuals sanctioned is reported to be Supreme Court Justices Alexandre de Moraes, Luís Roberto Barroso, Gilmar Mendes, Edson Fachin, Cármen Lúcia, Dias Toffoli, Cristiano Zanin and Flávio Dino; Paulo Gonet Branco, of the General Council of the Republic; Andrei Rodrigues, Director-General of the Federal Police; and Fábio Schor, Head of the Cybercrime Division.
