The former Brazilian leader is now barred from using social media or communicating with foreign diplomats.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced late Friday that he has revoked the visas of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, his “allies on the court,” and their close relatives, citing an ongoing “political witch hunt” targeting former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and “censorship of protected expression in the United States.”
The decision came hours after Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered police to search Bolsonaro’s home and attach an electronic monitor to the former leader’s ankle. Bolsonaro, who has already had his passport confiscated, is now also subject to a nightly and weekend curfew.
Under the same order signed by de Moraes, Bolsonaro is barred from using social media, communicating with foreign diplomats, or getting close to foreign embassies. Earlier this year, he was denied a request to temporarily get his passport back so he could attend President Donald Trump’s second inauguration ceremony.
Separately, de Moraes is leading an aggressive investigation into so-called “digital militias” accused of spreading disinformation and hate speech during the Bolsonaro administration. Last year, he temporarily banned X across the country after the Elon Musk-owned social media platform refused to remove certain accounts—many linked to Bolsonaro supporters—that de Moraes said had violated Brazilian law.
Rubio condemned the court’s actions as politically motivated repression.
“President Trump made clear that his administration will hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,” Rubio said in a statement.
“Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro created a persecution and censorship complex so sweeping that it not only violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil’s shores to target Americans,” he continued.
“I have therefore ordered visa revocations for Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members, effective immediately.”
De Moraes is presiding over Bolsonaro’s trial, in which the former president faces charges of an attempted coup related to the Jan. 8, 2023, protests at Brazil’s federal government buildings.
Authorities allege the protests were part of a broader conspiracy to overturn the 2022 election results that brought Bolsonaro’s left-wing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to power.
Bolsonaro has consistently denied wrongdoing or any involvement in the alleged coup plot. He has not been convicted, but is nonetheless barred from running for public office until 2030.
His treatment has become a flashpoint in the escalating standoff between the Trump and Lula administrations. Last week, the U.S. president threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods unless Bolsonaro’s prosecution was dropped.
By Bill Pan
