The government of the United States, presided over by Donald Trump, announced on Wednesday (30) new sanctions against Brazil, directly targeting Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes, reports Marina Sanches from UOL. The measures were adopted based on the Global Magnitsky Act, considered one of the harshest tools in U.S. diplomacy against foreigners accused of violating human rights or engaging in acts of corruption.
This decision marks an unprecedented moment in relations between the two countries: it is the first time a Brazilian authority has been sanctioned under this legislation. The application of the Magnitsky Act can lead to the freezing of assets in the United States, the cancellation of credit cards issued by American financial institutions, and the blocking of any dollar transactions that pass through the U.S. banking system — which affects even indirect operations carried out by Brazilian banks.
Sanction Planned for Months – The sanction had been in the works for some time and was driven by an intense campaign led by federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) and political commentator Paulo Figueiredo, both operating in Washington since Trump’s inauguration. The duo alleges political persecution and censorship against Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters in Brazil, attributing these practices to the STF and, in particular, to Moraes — who is the rapporteur of the criminal case against the former president, accused of attempting to violently abolish the Democratic Rule of Law.
Sources from the Trump administration indicate that the U.S. president had direct involvement in the decision. “President Trump was clear, and the American government has a wide range of tools that it can — and will — use to promote its priorities. Moraes and his team have only seen the beginning of this. This is far from over,” stated a high-ranking official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Fourth U.S. Offensive Against Brazil in Three Weeks – The sanctions imposed on Alexandre de Moraes are the fourth move by the Trump government against Brazil in less than a month. Before that, visa restrictions on eight STF justices and Attorney General of the Republic Paulo Gonet were announced, along with a 50% increase in trade tariffs and the opening of an investigation into allegedly unfair Brazilian trade practices.
On the 9th, Donald Trump conditioned any diplomatic rapprochement on the end of what he called a “witch hunt” against Jair Bolsonaro. The Brazilian government has publicly rejected this type of imposition and treated the sanctions as an affront to national sovereignty.
Effects of the Magnitsky Act
According to jurist Carlos Portugal Gouvêa, a USP professor and visiting scholar at Harvard, the blocking of assets in the U.S. can be immediate, affecting bank accounts, stocks, and companies linked to the sanctioned individual’s name. International transfers in dollars — even via banks outside the U.S. — can also be interrupted, given that much of these operations passes through U.S. banks.
Gouvêa further explains that the sanctions have no expiration date. “Initially, the Magnitsky Act provided for a six-year limit, but it became permanent. Now, the asset freeze can last indefinitely,” he stated. Credit cards issued by American institutions are also subject to cancellation.
The legislation was created during Barack Obama’s administration and expanded in 2016 to allow punishments for any foreign individual accused of corruption or serious human rights violations. Since then, it has been used against targets in China, Venezuela, Russia, and now, for the first time, Brazil.
Initial Skepticism and Political Decision – There were doubts in the U.S. Department of the Treasury — specifically in the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) — about the consistency of the accusations against Moraes. However, the hesitation was overcome, and the form with the sanction recommendation had been circulating for days among White House officials.
A Trump administration official reported that the Itamaraty “minimized Washington’s concerns about President Bolsonaro and freedom of expression, to the detriment of its government and its people.” The perception in the U.S. diplomatic core, according to him, is that Brazil underestimated the new U.S. government’s willingness to act harshly.
Source: www.brasil247.com