Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday called the U.S. decision to sanction Supreme Federal Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who is leading the investigation against former President Jair Bolsonaro for his apparent involvement in an attempted coup, an “unacceptable interference.”
“The US government’s interference in the Brazilian judicial system is unacceptable. The Brazilian government stands in solidarity with Judge Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Federal Court, who is subject to sanctions motivated by the actions of Brazilian politicians who betray our country and our people in defense of their own interests,” reads the message that the president published on his X account.
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In his speech, Lula argued that “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 constitutes a threat to the democratic regime itself.”
“Justice is not negotiable,” he warned.
In the same vein, he assured that in his country “the law applies to all citizens and all companies”, which means that “any activity that affects the life of the population and Brazilian democracy is subject to regulations”, including digital platforms. “Brazilian society rejects
hate speech, racism, child pornography, scams, fraud and rhetoric against human rights and democracy”, he added.
“Political Arguments”
Da Silva also alluded to the “
use of political arguments to validate the commercial measures announced by the US Government against Brazilian exports”, a conduct he described as “unjustifiable”, while reiterating that it is false that the US has a trade deficit with his country.
“Brazil has accumulated a significant trade deficit in goods and services with the U.S. in recent decades. The political motivation behind these measures against Brazil undermines national sovereignty and the historical relationship between both countries,” he pointed out.
To conclude, he mentioned that Brasilia “maintains its willingness to
negotiate the commercial aspects of its relationship with the U.S.“, although he warned that “it will not renounce the country’s defense instruments provided for in its legislation”.
“We have already begun to assess the impact of these measures and to develop actions to support and protect Brazilian workers, companies and families,” he concluded.
