A Brazilian journalist exiled in the United States is calling for international action against a Supreme Court justice who has spearheaded a sweeping crackdown on free expression in Brazil.
Paulo Figueiredo, a political commentator, has demanded sanctions against Justice Alexandre de Moraes, whom he blames for censorship orders, social media bans, asset freezes, and the suspension of his passport.
Figueiredo, once a prominent voice on Jovem Pan radio, was effectively erased from Brazil’s mainstream media landscape after the events of January 8, 2023.
Since then, he has continued to broadcast via seven online platforms from Florida, frequently appealing to Elon Musk on X to resist the Brazilian government’s overreach. Musk recently took a public stand against Moraes’ orders, a move Figueiredo hailed as “a complete game changer.”
“Moraes deserves those sanctions,” Figueiredo said in a recent podcast appearance with former US Congressman Matt Gaetz, referring to the possibility of US penalties under the Global Magnitsky Act. “That guy that looks like a James Bond villain… took down X, took down Rumble from Brazil.”
Figueiredo has previously provided testimony to the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.
“There is no justification, in any ideological spectrum, for measures of this type against journalists in the so-called free world,” Figueiredo told the committee. “This is something commonplace in Russia, China, or Cuba. But it is unprecedented in Brazil.”
Figueiredo added: “My case is also iconic in this sense,” he testified. “I have been suffering the penalties I described here for about a year and a half, but to this day, I have not been formally notified or informed of any decision or procedure against me and, therefore, I am unable to defend myself.”
Figueiredo continued: “Freedom of expression should be defended beyond political divisions. I’m not here to support conservatives, but rather to defend the universal value of freedom of expression, for both supporters and critics of Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro, Moraes, or any public official or public service.”
Throughout his testimony, Figueiredo emphasized the extent of Moraes’ actions, which he said lack any legal foundation and are shielded by layers of secrecy: “Virtually all these censorship and persecution actions occur within the scope of flagrantly illegal processes (such as the famous ‘Fake News Probe,’ which now is investigating even Elon Musk!), where Moraes acts as the alleged victim (he claims that criticisms of him are ‘attacks on democratic institutions’), investigator (since he created his own detachment of the Federal Police and administrative investigative bodies in the TSE), prosecutor (since the Public Prosecutor’s Office refused to participate in this farce and harshly criticized him), and judge (without the right to appeal, since he is the highest instance).”
Moraes has emerged as one of the most powerful and controversial figures in Brazil’s political hierarchy. Though not elected, his orders have deplatformed dissident voices, blocked international tech platforms, and led sweeping investigations with little transparency.
