Lula Slams US Sanctions Against Brazilian Judge as 'Unacceptable Interference'
20250731
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has lashed out at US sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes as interference in the country's justice system.
On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department included de Moraes in the sanctions list, accusing him of "an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate human rights, and politicized prosecutions - including against former President Jair Bolsonaro."
"The interference of the American government in the Brazilian justice system is unacceptable," Lula da Silva said on X on Wednesday.
Lula added that the Brazilian government "stands in solidarity with Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes."
"One of the foundations of democracy and respect for human rights in Brazil is the independence of the judiciary, and any attempt to weaken it is a threat to the democratic system itself," the president noted.
Bolsonaro served as the President of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He was defeated by Lula in the 2022 presidential election. Just one week after Lula's inauguration, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters violently overran Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace on January 8, 2023. On that day, police arrested approximately 2,000 individuals involved in the unrest.
In November 2024, Brazil's Federal Police charged Bolsonaro and several former government officials with attempting to overthrow democracy by organizing a coup and establishing a criminal organization. The case has now been forwarded to the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro faces the possibility of imprisonment for his alleged role in the attempted coup.
© Sputnik
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