US government removes Moraes from the Magnitsky list

The names are no longer on the list of those sanctioned on the Ofac website. THE People’s Gazette requested more information from the US Treasury Department and is awaiting feedback.

In conversations he had with Trump, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had requested that Brazilian authorities sanctioned by the US have their punishments lifted.

This year, due to Moraes’ decisions regarding American social networks and the STF case against former president Jair Bolsonaro, the minister, the Lex Institute of Legal Studies and Viviane Barci de Moraes suffered economic sanctions from the Trump administration.

Moraes was the target of sanctions in July, and Lex and Viviane, in September. The measures were based on the Magnitsky Act, a United States legislation that allows Washington to apply sanctions against those accused of human rights violations and corruption around the world.

The removal of names from the list draws attention, because earlier this week the United States Treasury Department had reaffirmed, through a letter shared with Republican congressman Rick McCormick, its reasons for having sanctioned Moraes.

The Treasury Department’s measures included freezing all assets of those targeted that were in the United States or in the possession or control of Americans; blocking of companies or other organizations that had a stake of 50% or more of those mentioned; and prohibition of people in the United States or transiting through American territory from carrying out financial and commercial transactions with those sanctioned, except in the case of a license issued by Ofac.