Includes more US comments.
The presiding judge in a trail against former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro faces US sanctions over alleged human rights abuses after President Donald Trump's criticism of the case.
The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) on Wednesday added Alexandre de Moraes to its list of specially designated nationals under the Magnitsky Act, which allows the US to prohibit entry and impose economic sanctions on foreign nationals it has identified as taking part in human rights violations or corruption.
Trump has called the case against Bolsonaro for an alleged coup attempt a "witch hunt" and threatened a 50pc tariff on Brazil, a phrase treasury secretary Scott Bessent echoed after the latest order.
"Alexandre de Moraes has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against US and Brazilian citizens and companies," Bessent said, adding that Moraes has targeted opposition politicians including Bolsonaro.
He also highlighted what he said was Moraes' arbitrary detention of a journalist for over a year among other cases not directly related with Bolsonaro's trial.
The US State Department in explaining the sanction said that "Moraes abused his authority by engaging in a targeted and politically motivated effort designed to silence political critics." It cited Moraes' social media ban on Bolsonaro and his orders for "unjust pre-trial detentions."
The Brazilian judge had argued earlier that Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo have been seeking help in the US to pressure Brazilian authorities over the trial.
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shortly after the Ofac designation posted an excerpt of his interview with The New York Times on social media highlighting his comment that "In Brazil, the law is for everyone. The three branches of government are independent."
The designation comes ahead of Brazil facing higher US tariffs over its exports, set to go into effect on 1 August for it and other countries that do not reach new trade deals. Lula has said he is "open to talk" with the US.
