Alexandre de Moraes: Brazilian judge in showdown with far-right
In the 56-year-old judge's sights is far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, accused of plotting to cling onto power despite his failed October 2022 re-election bid.
A showdown with tech titan Elon Musk has meanwhile put Moraes in the crosshairs of US President Donald Trump's administration, which has hinted it could deny visas to foreign officials who threaten US nationals or residents over social media posts.
Moraes shut down Musk's X network in Brazil, one of its largest markets, for 40 days for failing to tackle disinformation, mostly shared by supporters of Bolsonaro.
Musk reacted with fury at the time, branding Moraes an "evil dictator cosplaying as a judge" and accusing him of "trying to destroy democracy in Brazil."
Bolsonaro also has called Moraes a "dictator," while his son Eduardo, an MP, has lobbied for US sanctions against the "totalitarian" judge.
Moraes ordered that the younger Bolsonaro be placed under investigation for alleged obstruction of justice.
Hero or villain?
Known by his nickname, "Xandao," Moraes looms large over a deeply divided Brazil.
The immensely powerful judge, who previously headed the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), is hated by the far right, which accuses him of censorship and abuse of office.
To others, the muay thai aficionado is a hero on a mission to save Brazil's young democracy.
There was little in Moraes's background to hint he would become a thorn in the side of conservatives.
The constitutional law expert worked as a Sao Paulo state prosecutor, and went on to become state security secretary. Known as a hardliner, he drew criticism from left-wing activists, who accused him of repressing social movements.
He served as justice minister under center-right ex-president Michel Temer, who named him to the Supreme Court in 2017.
"He's a political animal," constitutional law expert Antonio Carlos de Freitas told AFP.
Supreme Court insiders call him a pragmatist.
But his pursuit of Bolsonaro and Musk's X showed a steelier side.
Moraes has presided over a slew of cases targeting Bolsonaro, barring the so-called "Trump of the Tropics" from running for office until 2030 over his attempts to discredit the electoral system.
But it is the coup investigation that threatens to definitively torpedo Bolsonaro's political comeback bid.
The 70-year-old former army captain risks up to 40 years in prison if convicted of plotting to prevent leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking power.
Prosecutors say the plot included a plan to arrest and even assassinate Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin and Moraes.
'Political animal'
Moraes was an omnipresent figure during the polarizing 2022 election campaign, aggressively using his rulings to fight election disinformation on social media.
That included blocking the accounts of some prominent conservative figures, leading to his standoff with Musk, who has been accused of turning his social media platform into a megaphone for right-wing conspiracy theories.
The married father of three gives few interviews, and rarely posted on his X account, where he had a million followers, before closing it in February.
"Freedom of expression doesn't mean freedom of aggression," he has said.
"It doesn't mean the freedom to defend tyranny."
Still two decades away from the mandatory retirement age for judges in Brazil of 75, Moraes has been cited as a possible future candidate for president.
He has never discussed any such ambitions publicly.
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France 24
17 hours ago
- France 24
Alexandre de Moraes: Brazilian judge in showdown with far-right
In the 56-year-old judge's sights is far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, accused of plotting to cling onto power despite his failed October 2022 re-election bid. A showdown with tech titan Elon Musk has meanwhile put Moraes in the crosshairs of US President Donald Trump's administration, which has hinted it could deny visas to foreign officials who threaten US nationals or residents over social media posts. Moraes shut down Musk's X network in Brazil, one of its largest markets, for 40 days for failing to tackle disinformation, mostly shared by supporters of Bolsonaro. Musk reacted with fury at the time, branding Moraes an "evil dictator cosplaying as a judge" and accusing him of "trying to destroy democracy in Brazil." Bolsonaro also has called Moraes a "dictator," while his son Eduardo, an MP, has lobbied for US sanctions against the "totalitarian" judge. Moraes ordered that the younger Bolsonaro be placed under investigation for alleged obstruction of justice. Hero or villain? Known by his nickname, "Xandao," Moraes looms large over a deeply divided Brazil. The immensely powerful judge, who previously headed the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), is hated by the far right, which accuses him of censorship and abuse of office. To others, the muay thai aficionado is a hero on a mission to save Brazil's young democracy. There was little in Moraes's background to hint he would become a thorn in the side of conservatives. The constitutional law expert worked as a Sao Paulo state prosecutor, and went on to become state security secretary. Known as a hardliner, he drew criticism from left-wing activists, who accused him of repressing social movements. He served as justice minister under center-right ex-president Michel Temer, who named him to the Supreme Court in 2017. "He's a political animal," constitutional law expert Antonio Carlos de Freitas told AFP. Supreme Court insiders call him a pragmatist. But his pursuit of Bolsonaro and Musk's X showed a steelier side. Moraes has presided over a slew of cases targeting Bolsonaro, barring the so-called "Trump of the Tropics" from running for office until 2030 over his attempts to discredit the electoral system. But it is the coup investigation that threatens to definitively torpedo Bolsonaro's political comeback bid. The 70-year-old former army captain risks up to 40 years in prison if convicted of plotting to prevent leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking power. Prosecutors say the plot included a plan to arrest and even assassinate Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin and Moraes. 'Political animal' Moraes was an omnipresent figure during the polarizing 2022 election campaign, aggressively using his rulings to fight election disinformation on social media. That included blocking the accounts of some prominent conservative figures, leading to his standoff with Musk, who has been accused of turning his social media platform into a megaphone for right-wing conspiracy theories. The married father of three gives few interviews, and rarely posted on his X account, where he had a million followers, before closing it in February. "Freedom of expression doesn't mean freedom of aggression," he has said. "It doesn't mean the freedom to defend tyranny." Still two decades away from the mandatory retirement age for judges in Brazil of 75, Moraes has been cited as a possible future candidate for president. He has never discussed any such ambitions publicly.
Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
Polish presidentials: Commisson will look at errors in vote counting
On Monday at 17:00, the National Electoral Commission (PKW) will consider erroneously completed protocols in some constituencies at a meeting, PKW member Ryszard Kalisz announced in a post on X. He was referring to the second round of the presidential election. According to the official results of the PKW, the election was won by Karol Nawrocki. The candidate supported by Law and Justice (PiS) won 10,606,877 votes, or 50.89%. He defeated Civic Coalition (KO) candidate Rafal Trzaskowski, who got the vote from 10,237,286 people in the second round, or 49.11%. Ultimately, the validity of the presidential election is decided by the Supreme Court on the basis of the report presented by the PKW and after considering protests. Certain entities, including voters, can submit written protests until 16 June. The Supreme Court has received 21 election protests, Monika Drwal of the Supreme Court press team reported on Friday. A petition for a recount of the votes is being collected online. To date, the petition has collected more than 160,000 signatures. "Given the extremely small difference of 369,591 votes between the candidates in the last presidential election, the very high number of 189,000 invalid votes, as well as the numerous reports of irregularities in the work of the electoral commissions, we feel obliged to call for a recount of all votes cast," wrote the authors of the petition. - wrote the authors of the petition. Signals of irregularities appeared, among others, in Minsk Mazowiecki. The authorities there reported that the results of two candidates had been swapped in one of the commissions. The chairman of the commission admitted that he had made a mistake in the minutes. A similar incident occurred in Krakow, specifically at PEC number 95 on Stawowa Street. The District Election Commission in Krakow is investigating the matter. The case has been addressed by the Polish authorities. Prime Minister Donald Tusk tried to tone down the mood of some internet users who suggested that the elections had been rigged. "Every reported case of irregularities in vote counting is checked and analysed. Possible falsifications are being investigated and will be punished. Protests will go to the Supreme Court. I understand emotions, but assuming in advance that the elections have been rigged does not serve the Polish state". - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote in a post on the X platform. The head of the office of the incumbent Polish president, Małgorzata Paprocka, commented on the matter on Saturday. Although she admitted that there had been an error in one of the commissions in counting the votes, she added in an interview with Trwam TV that she was concerned about attempts to question the election results. "The myth of falsifying the election result, undermining the mandate of the president, trying to antagonise the public, trying to introduce such unrest is an absolutely scandalous thing," - she said during the interview. "Of course such a mistake should not have happened, of course it should be clarified, but it has no bearing," - Paprocka assessed. In the campaign of attrition and position that the war in Ukraine has become, FPV drones have quickly become ubiquitous and vitally essential. Russia, initially relying mainly on Iranian Shaheds, soon put all the power of its war economy into manufacturing them itself. Ukraine, although not able to rely on the same production capacity, is not to be outdone and can rely on its inventiveness, both in the construction and development of its own models and the effectiveness of their use - as demonstrated by the recent 'Spider's Web' operation- but also in the 're-use' of swarms launched by its adversaries. Now Kyiv can count on some major support in this war at a distance: French automotive and defence companies are going to produce drones on Ukrainian soil.0 As French public radio reported in the afternoon, it will be automotive giant Renault Group which will be producing the drones. Announcing the initiative on LCI, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu spoke of a "win-win" partnership with Ukraine. "We're going to embark on a completely unprecedented partnership where a major company producing French cars - I'm not giving the name because it's up to it to announce it - is going to join forces with a French defence SME to arm production lines in Ukraine to be able to produce drones", the minister announced. These drones, the type of which he did not specify, will be intended for the Ukrainians, " but we are also going to make them available to our own French armies so that we can have permanent tactical and operational training that reflects the reality" of the conflict. As far as expertise and manpower are concerned, production will rest on the Ukrainians' shoulders: they "are better than we are at devising drones and, above all, developing the doctrine that goes with them", Lecornu admitted. "There's also no need to ask French citizens" to go and work on the production line in Ukraine. The announcement follows the discussions that took place on 5 June in Brussels between the Ukrainian and French defence ministers on the joint production of weapons for Ukrainian defence needs. "We are ready to offer this opportunity to the best manufacturers. Ukraine has combat experience and France has a solid industrial base. This is a strategic and mutually beneficial partnership", Ukrainian Miniser of Defence Rustem Umarierov emphasised, thanking Lecornu for his support. At the 28th Ramstein meeting at NATO headquarters, Ukraine and its partners also decided to set up an armaments production mechanism. Several European partners have recently invested in drone production in Ukraine Finland has set up a drone manufacturing plant in cooperation with Ukrainian partners to produce drones for Ukraine and the EU, with mass production scheduled to begin in 2025. The Netherlands has announced a €700m ($798m) investment to advance drone technology and support Ukraine's defence industry. The UK is also investing hundreds of millions of dollars to increase drone production for Ukraine in 2025. Norway has redirected its funds to support Ukrainian drone production. According to Jean-Paul Perruche, Lieutenant General and former Director General of the European Union Military Staff, quoted by LCI, France was until then "insufficiently prepared" for this upheaval in warfare practices: "I worked in the research department of the army staff, and we were already talking about drones at the end of the 1980s. But the context at the time was far from high-intensity. I think we fell behind on drones at a time when countries like the United States and others like China were forging ahead. While the French army has a few thousand drones (3,000 for the army), Ukraine intends to use more than 4.5 million drones by 2025, which are responsible for 70% of the destruction of enemy equipment on the front line.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Salvadoran lawyer arrested on money laundering charges
Bukele's hardline approach to El Salvador's powerful gangs has made him one of the world's most domestically popular leaders, even as human rights defenders raise alarm over arbitrary arrests and eroding civil liberties. Enrique Anaya, a constitutional lawyer, who has called Nayib a "dictator" and criticized his reelection, was arrested at his home in the city of Santa Tecla. Images of Anaya handcuffed alongside police officers were shared on social media by the Attorney General's Office, which stated that he will be referred to the courts in the coming days for "money and asset laundering." It comes after the detention this year of fellow lawyer Ruth Lopez, head of an anti-corruption unit of human rights NGO Cristosal, who was accused of embezzling state funds when she worked for an electoral court a decade ago. El Salvador's constitution does not allow successive presidential terms, but a Bukele-stacked Supreme Court allowed him to run, and he was reelected in February 2024. 'Of course I'm afraid' Bukele, who won 85 percent of the votes thanks to his war against gangs, accuses his critics of leftist political activism and last week warned that "corrupt opposition members" are not untouchable. "I don't care if they call me a dictator. I'd rather be called a dictator than see Salvadorans killed in the streets," he said in a speech Sunday. Anaya responded on a television program Tuesday that Bukele had removed "the mask," adding "he is what he is." "Here, whoever speaks, whoever criticizes, whoever does not kneel before the idol, gets imprisoned. Of course, I am afraid," Anaya said. He said in his last X post on Friday that "the Bukelean dictatorship is increasingly questioned and confronted internationally," referencing criticism from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) regarding the arrest of Lopez's and other activists. Lopez has criticized Bukele's anti-crime policy, which has seen thousands of alleged gangsters arrested and jailed in harsh conditions. Her NGO Cristosal helps families of Salvadorans caught up in Bukele's crackdown on gangs, as well as more than 250 Venezuelans deported by the Trump administration, which paid El Salvador to imprison them. "It's part of what we're living through. Unfortunately, Enrique's situation is similar to Ruth's case," said Anaya's defense attorney, Jaime Quintanilla. -- 'Troubling escalation' -- In a statement, Cristosal described Anaya as a "key figure in defending democratic institutions and constitutional order." "His arrest is part of a troubling escalation of criminalization against those who defend the rule of law in El Salvador," he added. An environmental lawyer and an evangelical pastor supporting a farmers' protest were arrested in May, and in February Fidel Zavala, a human rights activist, was accused of ties to gangs. Last month, Bukele's allies in the Legislative Assembly imposed a Foreign Agents Law levying a 30 percent tax on organizations receiving overseas funding and requiring them to join a special registry. The European Union said on Saturday that the law "could restrict society" and lamented the arrests, which Bukele responded to on X, calling it an "aged bloc" of bureaucrats who insist "on preaching to the rest of the world." Bukele accuses NGOs of defending criminals and has accused the media of joining an "organized attack" spearheaded by international groups. Anaya has stated on several occasions in interviews that Bukele's legacy will be one of "human rights violations" and "destruction of democracy."
