Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, has been charged with coercion. Bolsonaro has “repeatedly sought to subordinate the interests of Brazil and the entire society to his own personal and family agenda,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Bolsonaro, who lives in the United States, called the charges “bogus” in a statement on X.
“We live in the United States, and therefore under the jurisdiction of the American Constitution, which in its First Amendment guarantees the right ‘to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,’ That is exactly what we are doing, and will continue to do,” he wrote, speaking on behalf of himself and journalist Paulo Figueiredo.
“The mere criminalization of exercising a constitutional right in another jurisdiction constitutes a practice of transnational repression against U.S. Persons,” the statement continued. “This is precisely one of the grounds for the sanctions applied to Alexandre de Moraes for human rights violations, as well as for the trade tariffs imposed on Brazil. Those who adhere to this kind of conduct subject themselves to the same penalties and only deepen the crisis between Brazil and the United States.”
Bolsonaro further condemned the “ongoing political persecution,” declaring it to be a “waste of time” and asserting that he and Figueiredo “will not be intimidated.”
The accusations are thought to be linked to the United States’ sanctions on the Lex Instituto de Estudos Juridicos LTDA (Lex Institute) for its support of Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
“Alexandre de Moraes is responsible for an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions, and politicized prosecutions—including against former President Jair Bolsonaro,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said of the sanctions.
