The US Department of State on Monday announced targeted sanctions against close associates of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, intensifying actions that began earlier this year. These new sanctions affect de Moraes' wife, Viviane de Moraes, and her business, the Lex Institute, citing violations under the 2016 Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

According to the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Viviane de Moraes and the Lex Institute have been instrumental in providing material and financial support to Justice Moraes. The Justice is accused of committing severe human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions and suppressing freedom of expression during his oversight of the criminal proceedings against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was found guilty of attempting to subvert the outcome of the 2022 elections.

The sanctions restrict the involved parties from accessing their properties within the US and prohibit any transactions with US entities. OFAC emphasized that any US individuals who engage with those sanctioned could face severe civil or criminal penalties.

This move follows the Treasury Department’s July sanctions against Justice Moraes himself, coinciding with an executive order that criticized his handling of the Bolsonaro trial as a misuse of judicial power and labeled the proceedings as politically motivated.

The Brazilian government has strongly opposed these US actions. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, addressing the UN General Assembly, declared such interventions as unacceptable assaults on Brazil's sovereign institutions. He criticized the unilateral and arbitrary nature of the US measures, which he views as detrimental to Brazil's judiciary and economic stability.

Further sanctions against Brazilian officials have not been ruled out, with the US State Department hinting at additional measures if deemed necessary. This ongoing conflict highlights deepening tensions between the US and Brazil, underscoring significant disagreements over legal processes and international diplomacy.