Washington D.C. – The United States government, through its Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), announced sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. The sanctions, enacted under Executive Order 13818, which implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, result in the freezing of any U.S. assets Moraes may hold and prohibit U.S. companies from engaging in business with him. The U.S. cited Moraes's alleged authorization of arbitrary pre-trial detentions and suppression of freedom of expression as reasons for the action.
The Treasury Department stated that Justice de Moraes has used his position to authorize arbitrary pre-trial detentions and suppress freedom of expression, including targeting U.S.-based journalists and citizens. This action follows the U.S. Department of State's revocation of de Moraes's visa and those of his immediate family members on July 18, 2025, for their alleged complicity in aiding and abetting an "unlawful censorship campaign against U.S."
Justice de Moraes has been a central figure in several high-profile cases, including the ongoing criminal proceedings against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces charges of plotting a coup to overturn the 2022 presidential election. The U.S. President Donald Trump has linked new tariffs, specifically a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, to what he described as a "witch hunt" against his ally Bolsonaro. Additionally, Moraes has drawn criticism from figures like Elon Musk, whose social media platform X faced orders from the justice to ban accounts and remove content in Brazil.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva swiftly denounced the U.S. measures, calling them "arbitrary" and "baseless" and asserting that foreign interference in the judiciary is "unacceptable." A member of Lula's cabinet, Gleisi Hoffmann, echoed this sentiment on social media, expressing the Brazilian government's "total repudiation of the latest absurdity."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that "Alexandre de Moraes has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against U.S. and Brazilian citizens and companies." This move escalates diplomatic tensions between the two nations, highlighting a growing dispute over judicial independence and human rights.