According to Reuters, the U.S. government announced on September 22 sanctions on the wife of Brazil’s Supreme Court judge, Alexander de Morais, and cancelled visas for several Brazilian prosecutors and senior government officials.This is the latest measure taken by the Trump administration after Brazil’s former president Bosonaro was convicted. Analysts believe the move could further escalate diplomatic tensions between the United States and Brazil.
In July this year, de Moraes himself was sanctioned by the United States under the Magnitsky Act. When U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the sanctions on the 22nd, he said that he would not rule out the possibility of expanding measures against Brazilian officials in the future. At the same time, the U.S. State Department also revoked the visas of several officials, including Brazilian Attorney General Jorge Messias. Messias said on social media that this was an "unfair blow" by the US against him, but he will continue to perform his duties.
The Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that this was “another inappropriate interference” in Brazil’s internal affairs, which would damage relations between the two countries, and stressed that Brazil “will not yield.” De Morais himself also noted in a statement that Brazil’s judiciary was “strong and robust” and would not be affected by attacks by the U.S. government.
Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled on Monday that former Brazilian president Bosonaro was convicted of plotting a coup and sentenced to 27 years and 3 months in prison. Bosonaro became the first former president in Brazil to be convicted of plotting a coup. De Morais served as chief judge in the case. According to Brazilian media reports on the same day, Bosonaro, who was imprisoned at home on the 16th of this month for symptoms of dizziness and vomiting, and accompanied by a drop in blood pressure, was sent to a hospital in Brazil for treatment and the next day was diagnosed with skin cancer.