The United States House Legal Committee, which revealed on Wednesday night (17) a report on the orders of Federal Supreme Court (STF) Minister Alexandre de Moraes, sent a document to the American government to find out if President Joe Biden, from the Democratic Party, collaborated with the censorship of personalities in Brazil, especially in X, and what he is doing to promote freedom of expression abroad.
In the document, sent to Uzra Zeya, Undersecretary of State for Civil Security, Democracy and Human Rights of the US government, the committee mentions that it is investigating the extent to which the US Executive Branch “conspired with companies to censor legal speech” and that , to this end, “examined how governments in other countries, including Brazil, sought to censor online speech”.
“According to recent reports, Brazil has blocked certain accounts on a social media platform (the X) that the Brazilian government considers to be spreading disinformation. After defending freedom of expression online, a Brazilian judge (Alexandre de Moraes) opened an investigation into the actions of X, a platform that refuses to give access to Brazil’s censorship demands. X indicated that it is being ‘forced by court decisions to block certain popular accounts in Brazil’”, the document adds.
The committee asked the Biden government to hand over all documents and communications that were sent to the US State Department, including those that were sent through the US embassy and consulates in Brazil, referring to the orders issued by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and the STF of Brazil, which ordered the suspension or removal of accounts on X or any other social media platform.
The Committee also asked the government to develop a report with experts on what actions the State Department should take in response to attacks on freedom of expression in Brazil
The committee said the Biden administration has until the 30th of this month to send what was requested.