The chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the United States Congress, Representative Christopher H. Smith, has requested that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio impose immediate sanctions against Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Federal Supreme Court (STF). In an official letter sent to Rubio, Smith accuses Moraes of leading a policy of “transnational repression” against Brazilians living in U.S. territory. The information comes from journalist Paulo Cappelli’s column in Metrópoles.
“What is at stake no longer admits controversy,” wrote the Republican congressman. “Brazilian authorities have been using Interpol mechanisms to pursue dissidents abroad. They have tried to bypass formal channels and directly pressure U.S. security forces. They have coerced American companies to restrict legally protected freedoms of expression. And they have sought to impose foreign judicial orders to silence political demonstrations protected by the U.S. Constitution,” Smith wrote.
The U.S. representative also mentioned the testimony of former Jovem Pan News commentator Paulo Figueiredo, given to the committee on Tuesday (24), as a central element to substantiate his complaint. According to Smith, Brazil is “on the brink of an institutional breakdown.” He also criticized what he described as Alexandre de Moraes’ “deliberate silence” in response to a letter sent in June 2024 by U.S. congressmen. According to the congressman, there was no response from the STF justice to the statement.
In another section of the document, Smith argues that the impact of the actions attributed to the magistrate extends beyond Brazilian foreign policy. “The transnational repression promoted by the Brazilian government in the United States, combined with the refusal to engage in dialogue with Congress, has also become an internal issue for us. These actions affect the rights of U.S. citizens, compromise the sovereignty of our institutions, and threaten the integrity of our legal and technological systems,” he stated.
“I request that urgent measures be taken to impose sanctions and, with a view to future accountability, that other Brazilian authorities involved in this type of repression be identified. Brazil, which was once an exemplary democratic partner in the region, is nearing an institutional collapse. We cannot allow ourselves to regret an omission in the face of such clear signs and with legal instruments at our disposal,” Smith concludes, according to the report.
Source: www.brasil247.com