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The US Treasury Department on Friday lifted sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the trial of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro.
The move follows efforts to repair diplomatic relations between Brazil and the United States, signalling a thaw after months of tension.
The sanctions, originally imposed under President Donald Trump, were part of broader punitive measures against Brazil, targeting Moraes, his wife Viviane Barci de Moraes, and a family-linked company.
The measures drew criticism from Bolsonaro, who had described the trial as a “witch hunt.” A senior Trump administration official said continuing the sanctions was “inconsistent with US foreign policy interests.”
Moraes welcomed the decision, saying in Brasilia, “I believed, and I still believe…that the truth, once it reached US authorities, would prevail. And the truth, with the efforts of President Lula and his entire team, prevailed.”
The easing of restrictions comes after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Trump held their first official meeting in October, followed by intense diplomatic negotiations. Last month, the Trump administration also exempted key Brazilian exports from a previously imposed 40 per cent tariff linked to the trial.
Tensions between the US and Brazil had escalated before Bolsonaro’s trial, with Moraes taking steps to regulate social media, including temporarily blocking Elon Musk’s X platform and accounts popular among conservative voices.
In July, the US Treasury had sanctioned Moraes, with Secretary Scott Bessent claiming he had acted as “judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against US and Brazilian citizens and companies.”
Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to obstruct Lula’s rise to office after the 2022 elections. His son Eduardo, a federal lawmaker, had travelled to the US to lobby for sanctions against Brazilian judicial officials and has since been charged with “coercion” over attempts to influence the coup-related trial.
Eduardo expressed regret over the lifting of sanctions on Moraes, citing a “lack of internal cohesion” and insufficient support for overseas initiatives, while acknowledging Trump’s attention to what he described as Brazil’s “serious crisis of freedoms.”
Meanwhile, the senior US official noted the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, dominated by Bolsonaro allies, recently passed a bill that could significantly reduce the former president’s prison term, adding another layer of complexity to the unfolding political situation.
