Opponent of former President Bolsonaro Trump media company sues Brazilian judge
US President Donald Trump's media company has sued a Brazilian judge. The opponent of former President Bolsonaro is said to have violated the right to freedom of expression.
19.02.2025, 22:20
19.02.2025, 22:21
dpa
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- US President Donald Trump's media company has sued a Brazilian judge.
- Judge Alexandre de Moraes allegedly violated the right to freedom of expression in the USA.
- The judge wanted to have the online accounts of a supporter of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro blocked.
US President Donald Trump's media company sued a Brazilian judge at the country's Supreme Court on Wednesday. Judge Alexandre de Moraes violated the right to freedom of expression in the US when he ordered the online accounts of a supporter of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to be blocked, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in a federal court in Tampa in the US state of Florida.
The plaintiffs are the Florida-based Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the media platform Truth Social, among others, and the video platform Rumble, which works with Truth Social and considers itself a safe haven for freedom of expression. Moraes allegedly overstepped his authority and broke international law when he attempted to shut down the social media accounts of a right-wing Brazilian commentator seeking asylum in the US. The blogger is only referred to as "political dissident A" in the complaint.
Accusation against Bolsonaro
The lawsuit states that Rumble faces a fine of 9,000 dollars per day and the shutdown of its service in Brazil if it does not comply with Moraes' order. The Trump media organization was not mentioned in the judge's order, but nevertheless stated that Truth Social's operations would be affected if Rumble were shut down.
Before the 2022 presidential election, Bolsonaro used his social media presence to raise unfounded doubts about Brazil's electronic voting system. On Moraes' instructions, police raided homes in 2020 and froze the social media accounts of several of Bolsonaro's far-right supporters and YouTube backers. Bolsonaro's supporters are calling for impeachment proceedings against the judge.
Bolsonaro was charged with attempted coup on Tuesday. Attorney General Paulo Gonet accuses Bolsonaro and 33 other people of planning a coup d'état after his election defeat in 2022 in order to remain in power despite losing to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.