July 31, (THEWILL) — US President Donald Trump has vowed sanctions against Judges who would trample on the fundamental rights of their countrymen, warning that “judicial robes cannot protect you”.
Trump’s warning came after the United States Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that it would officially impose sanctions on the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice, Alexandre de Moraes, the jurist leading a criminal investigation against the former right-wing President, Jair Bolsonaro.
A notice announcing the sanctions from the Treasury Department alleged De Moraes has been using his position to authorise “arbitrary” pre-trial detentions, suppress freedom of speech and target political opponents.
“Today, the United States is sanctioning Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes for serious human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention involving flagrant denials of fair trial guarantees and violations of the freedom of expression. Moraes abused his authority by engaging in a targeted and politically motivated effort designed to silence political critics through the issuance of secret orders compelling online platforms, including U.S. social media companies, to ban the accounts of individuals for posting protected speech”, the U.S. Department of State said.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, confirmed that Justice Moraes was sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act for human rights violations.
“@POTUS and @USTreasury have sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes under the Global Magnitsky sanctions program for serious human rights abuses”, Rubio said in a post on social media.
Magnitsky sanctions are financial and travel restrictions imposed by governments on individuals found guilty of severe human rights violations. The sanctions are named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian tax lawyer who exposed government corruption but was imprisoned, tortured, and died in custody in 2009.
While Trump described it as an “unjust” and politically motivated case against Bolsonaro, he warned on Wednesday that similar measures could be extended to corrupt judges in Nigeria and other countries.
Warning judicial officials across the world, including Nigeria, Rubio said, “Let this be a warning to those who would trample on the fundamental rights of their countrymen—judicial robes cannot protect you.”
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