The U.S. government has sanctioned the wife of a Brazilian Supreme Court judge who led the investigation into former President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was sentenced this month in Brazil to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup. The Trump administration also revoked the U.S. visa of another Brazilian official, Solicitor-General Jorge Messias, who criticized the decision on his social media channels.
Viviane Barci de Moraes, the wife of Justice Alexandre de Moraes, was sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act, which the U.S. uses against human rights abusers. Her husband was also sanctioned under the same law because he oversaw the case against Bolsonaro.
This action represents the latest in a series of unilateral attacks by the Trump administration against Brazil, including sanctions on other officials and a 50% tariff on many of the country’s exports. Local media also reported that other judges who work with de Moraes in the Supreme Court have also had their U.S. visas revoked, a claim they have not personally confirmed. A holding company of the de Moraes family was also sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act.
De Moraes stated that Brazilian institutions are strong and will not be affected by the Trump administration’s actions. He said the steps taken against his wife are an attack on international law, Brazil’s sovereignty, and the independence of the judiciary. The U.S. State Department said de Moraes used his position to weaponize courts, arbitrarily detain people before trials, and suppress freedom of expression.
The statement said that these sanctions were based on a number of actions taken by the Trump administration to hold Moraes accountable for abusing his rights, creating an environment of censorship, openly targeting political opponents, and committing serious human rights violations.
Bolsonaro was found guilty of organizing a coup to remain in office illegally after his electoral loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022. The far-right leader has not been sent to prison until an appeal is filed.
Brazilian Solicitor-General Messias said he had received an unjust attack from the U.S. government, but would continue to work with enthusiasm and awareness. On Friday, Brazil’s Health Minister Alexandre Padilha said he would not attend the United Nations General Assembly next week because the U.S. government gave him an unacceptable visa, restricting his movement within the country.
After Padilha received the U.S. visa very late, the Lula administration protested at the United Nations, which limited his movements in New York to a few blocks near the U.N. headquarters and his hotel. The Health Minister remained in Brazil and participated in protests in major cities on Sunday against a potential amnesty bill for Bolsonaro to avoid prison.