On Wednesday (30), the minister of (Federal Supreme Court), with the standard of the country focused on punishing foreigners violators of human rights and accused of corruption.
The sanction was unprecedented to a judge of the Brazilian Supreme Court. Donald Trump’s government claim is that Moraes has acted against freedom of expression and persecuted former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and allies in the STF criminal action that investigates the 2022 coup plot.
The sanction to the minister has generated criticism from experts, who say there are inadequacy in the case of the magistrate, since tradition is to sanction serious human rights violators.
The decision also caught the attention of William Browder, a British investor who is in charge of the global campaign for law enforcement and was a client of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who inspired the legislation.
“I spent years struggling for the approval of the Magnitsky Law to end impunity against serious human rights and cleptocrats. As far as I know, the Brazilian judge Moraes does not fit any of these categories,” Browder wrote on Wednesday on social networks.
Magnitsky was tortured and killed in 2009 after revealing a tax fraud and corruption scheme linked to Kremlin. Inspired by the case, the law with its name was implemented in the United States and later regulated based on executive order 13818, issued on December 20, 2017.
Since that year, the country has sanctioned more than 740 foreigners accused of human rights abuses and corruption worldwide, according to the US government report. In 2024, the government claims to have sanctioned 70 foreigners with the standard.
Below are cases of people who have already been sanctioned with the law, commonly dictators and people classified as serious rights violators.
Yahya Jammeh, former president of Gambia, from 1994 to 2016
Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh was sanctioned in 2017 by the United States by “his long history” of involvement in human rights violations and corruption. Zineb Souma, former first lady of the country and Jammeh’s wife, was sanctioned in 2020 on charges of helping her husband commit economic crimes.
Jammeh is classified as one who, according to a Truth Commission, found in 2021, had torture and killing people from an extermination squad, raped women and defined people in jail.
Min Aung Hlaing, General who ruled Myanmar after a 2021 coup d’état
Min Aung Hlaing was sanctioned on December 10, 2019 by the United States by his role as commander of the Burmese security forces, involved in serious human rights violations under his command, points out the United States report.
“Min Aung Hlaing’s military forces were responsible for the brutal security operation that began in August 2017 in the state of Rahkine and ended up leading more than 500,000 people to flee to Bangladesh,” says US government report.
“During this time, members of minority ethnic groups were killed or shot, often on the run, or by soldiers using large -caliber weapons; others were burned to death in their own homes. There are reliable allegations of mass rape and other forms of sexual violence committed by soldiers under Min Aung Hlaing.”
Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Chechnya accused of deaths and torture
The US government says it has sanctioned Kadyrov due to serious human rights violations in Russia. “Kadyrov is the head of the Chechen Republic and leader of an organization, Kadyrovtsy, who became involved, or whose members were involved in serious human rights violations,” says a report.
The United States claim that the leader was involved in the murder of Boris Nemtsov, an opposition politician to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ly Yong Phat, Senator of Cambodia
Sanctioned in December 2024 because it is, according to the US government, an accomplice and directly involved in violations related to trafficked workers who were submitted to forced labor in online fraud centers.
“Ly is a senator and Magnata Cambojano, owner of Lyp Group, who in turn owns the O-Smach Resort,” says a report, who also cites sanction to companies linked to the politician.
PROPHANE VICTOR, former parliamentarian at Haiti
The former parliamentarian Prophane Victor was sanctioned in September 2024 by the United States. According to the country, the measure occurred by its support for gangs that committed serious human rights abuses in Haiti.
The Trump administration states that “Victor began to arm young people in Petite Rivière, Arti -Rei, to ensure their control over the area and their election in 2016. These men formed the Gran Grif gang, which is currently the largest gang in the artibonitis department and the main abuse perpetrator, including sexual violence.”
“Victor’s affiliations to gangs and material support to them contributed to the climate of terror, as gangs were involved in a series of cruelty, violence and struggle for control, letting residents pay the consequences,” the country adds.
