Brazil's Supreme Court stands firm on Bolsonaro trial despite foreign pressure

SAO PAULO — Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said Friday that the country’s top court will not yield to sanctions or foreign pressure over the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, which is expected to take place later this year.

De Moraes, who is overseeing the criminal case against Bolsonaro, did not mention the United States or Donald Trump in his remarks, but tensions between the U.S. and Brazil escalated this week.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against De Moraes for alleged suppression of freedom of expression, and Trump signed an executive order imposing a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods.

The U.S. government cited what it described as the “political persecution” of Bolsonaro as the reason for its actions. The former president is facing trial for allegedly orchestrating a plot to remain in power after losing the 2022 election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The proceedings are in their final stage and, according to De Moraes, are expected to conclude by the end of the year.

“The Supreme Court’s procedural schedule will neither be advanced nor delayed,” said De Moraes. “The court will ignore the sanctions.”

De Moraes received support from Supreme Court President Luís Roberto Barroso and Justice Gilmar Mendes, who spoke before him.

In response to U.S. recent actions, De Moraes emphasized the independence of Brazil’s judiciary saying that “The Supreme Court will always be unwavering in the defense of national sovereignty, in its commitment to democracy and the rule of law, in its commitment to the independence of the judiciary and the constitutional principles of Brazil.”

While justices assembled in the capital, Brasilia, demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. consulate in Sao Paulo, carrying banners defending Brazil’s sovereignty and calling on Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stay out of Brazil and Palestine. Organized by unions and social movements, protesters also burned dummies of Trump and Bolsonaro.