"The Supreme Court must be respected throughout the world," says Lula regarding Trump's sanctions against Supreme Court justices.

247 - In an interview published this Wednesday (30) by the North American newspaper The New York TimesPresident Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) defended the legitimacy of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and responded with concern to the possibility of sanctions from the United States against Minister Alexandre de Moraes.

“A country’s Supreme Court must be respected not only within its own country, but throughout the world,” Lula stated, commenting on the declaration by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said there was “a strong possibility” that Moraes would be prosecuted under the Magnitsky Act. Early Wednesday afternoon, the threat materialized and the... The United States imposed sanctions on Moraes based on the Magnitsky Act..

"If what you're saying is true, it's more serious than I imagined," the president told the reporter from the American newspaper.

Lula's response comes amid escalating tensions between Brazil and the United States, against the backdrop of the so-called "tariff hike" announced by President Donald Trump, and criticism from the American Republican wing regarding the Supreme Court's actions in cases involving former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The Magnitsky Act is a US legal tool created in 2012, during the Barack Obama administration, initially to punish Russian officials involved in the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. After an amendment passed in 2016, the legislation gained global reach, allowing sanctions against anyone accused of corruption or serious human rights violations—regardless of nationality.

The application of the law against Moraes could have drastic effects. Targets of the Magnitsky Act may have assets frozen in the United States, lose access to the international dollar-based banking system, and suffer severe restrictions on financial operations, including outside of American territory.