Key facts
- The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
- The sanctions cite de Moraes's alleged role in arbitrary pre-trial detentions and suppression of freedom of expression.
- The action is based on Executive Order 13818, which implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
- The U.S. Department of State previously revoked de Moraes's visa and those of his immediate family.
- De Moraes has been accused of targeting critics, including politicians, journalists, and U.S. social media companies.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) justice Alexandre de Moraes. The Treasury stated that de Moraes has used his position to authorize arbitrary pre-trial detentions and suppress freedom of expression, describing his actions as an "unlawful witch hunt" and an "oppressive campaign of censorship."
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent asserted that de Moraes is responsible for "an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate human rights, and politicized prosecutions—including against former President Jair Bolsonaro." The sanctions are being implemented under Executive Order 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. 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 de Moraes’s censorship campaign against U.S. persons.
Appointed to the STF in 2017, de Moraes has been accused of wielding immense authority through his oversight of STF investigations. He has reportedly investigated, prosecuted, and suppressed individuals for speech protected under the U.S. Constitution, subjecting them to long preventive detentions without charges. The Treasury noted an instance where de Moraes allegedly detained a journalist for over a year in retaliation for exercising freedom of expression. His targets have reportedly included opposition politicians, journalists, newspapers, U.S. social media platforms, and other companies. The Treasury also stated that de Moraes has imposed preventive detention and issued arrest warrants against journalists and social media users based in the United States, and has ordered U.S. social media companies to block or remove accounts critical of the Brazilian government.