US imposes sanctions on Brazilian high court judge Alexandre de Moraes
Moraes oversees the criminal case against former president Jair Bolsonaro, who has been charged with plotting a coup. US President
Donald Trump has tied new tariffs on
Brazil to what he called a 'witch hunt' against his right-wing ally.
The announcement by the US Treasury Department follows Secretary of State
Marco Rubio's statement in June saying that Washington was considering sanctioning the judge.
Moraes was sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act, which allows the
United States to impose economic penalties against foreigners it considers to have a record of corruption or human rights abuses.
'Moraes has investigated, prosecuted and suppressed those who have engaged in speech that is protected under the US Constitution, repeatedly subjecting victims to long preventive detentions without bringing charges,' the Treasury Department said in a statement.
Moraes recently ordered Bolsonaro to wear an ankle bracelet and stop using social media over allegations he courted interference from Trump.
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