Lula says he asked Trump to end sanctions against STF ministers

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said he asked the Chief Executive of the United States, Donald Trump, to withdraw the sanctions imposed by the North American government on all ministers of the Supreme Federal Court (STF). The statement was made in an interview with SBT News, broadcast this Monday (12/15).

“I sent him a message saying that he had to release all my ministers that he put in this law that punishes people from another country. And I told him that it is important to remember that my ministers are punished because they respected the Constitution. I was happy when I learned that he had removed Alexander’s. And he will remove the others, because I will continue to insist on him,” Lula said.

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The Presidents of the United States and Brazil, Donald Trump and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

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Lula and Trump in Malaysia

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Lula and Trump in Malaysia

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Lula and Trump in Malaysia

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The interview was recorded last Friday (12/12), just hours after the United States announced STF Minister Alexandre de Moraes’ withdrawal from the Magnitsky Act. At the time, Washington also lifted sanctions applied to the magistrate’s wife, Viviane Barci de Moraes, and the family business, Lex Instituto de Estudos Jurídicas.

The sanctions were imposed based on the Global Magnitsky Act, a mechanism used by the US government to punish foreign officials accused of human rights abuses or corruption. In the case of Moraes, the measure was announced in July. In September, the sentences were extended to the magistrate’s wife and the family business.

According to the justification presented at the time by the White House, the measures were politically motivated and were adopted in response to the minister’s role as rapporteur of the investigative action on the attempted coup, a process that resulted in the conviction of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and his allies.

Ministers sanctioned

In addition to the sanctions against Moraes, the US government increased tariffs on Brazilian products and revoked the visas of STF members, deputy judges, federal police authorities, the Attorney General’s Office and politicians working with the Court.

In total, 15 Brazilian authorities from the judiciary, public prosecutor’s office and public service have been targeted with some form of sanctions. Alexandre de Moraes remains the only one affected by all the measures provided for by the Magnitsky law, such as the blocking of assets under American jurisdiction and financial restrictions. For others, the sanction was limited to the revocation of visas, extended to direct family members.

Since July, eight ministers of the Supreme Court have been included on the list of those sanctioned: Alexandre de Moraes, Luís Roberto Barroso, Edson Fachin, Dias Toffoli, Cristiano Zanin, Flávio Dino, Cármen Lúcia and Gilmar Mendes.

Ministers Luiz Fux, André Mendonça and Nunes Marques remained excluded from the list, the last two having been appointed to the Court by Bolsonaro himself.