The U.S. Secretary of State has announced visa restrictions on a Brazilian judge. This action follows the Brazilian Supreme Court’s issuance of search warrants and restraining orders against former President Jair Bolsonaro.

According to Rubio, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, his unspecified allies on the court, and his immediate family members will have their visas revoked. Rubio characterized these measures against the former president as a “political witch hunt.”

In a statement, Rubio affirmed that “President Trump made clear that his administration will hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States.”

He further stated that “Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro created a persecution and censorship complex so sweeping that it not only violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil’s shores to target Americans.”

As part of the court’s orders, Bolsonaro is prohibited from contacting foreign officials, using social media, or approaching embassies. These restrictions are based on allegations that he sought interference from the U.S. President, according to Moraes’s decision, which cited a “concrete possibility” of Bolsonaro fleeing the country.

Federal police raided Bolsonaro’s home, and he was fitted with an ankle monitor.

Trump has previously sought to aid Bolsonaro, including by announcing a 50% tariff on goods from Brazil, effective August 1. This was communicated in a letter that began by criticizing Bolsonaro’s ongoing trial before Brazil’s Supreme Court on accusations of attempting to overturn the previous election.

The U.S. President has urged Brazil to dismiss the case against Bolsonaro, asserting that the former Brazilian leader is the target of a “witch hunt.”

Bolsonaro is currently facing trial before Brazil’s Supreme Court, accused of plotting a coup to prevent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from assuming office in January 2023.

Bolsonaro informed Reuters that he believed the orders against him were a direct consequence of Trump’s criticism regarding his trial.

The former president characterized Moraes as a “dictator” and labeled the most recent court orders as acts of “cowardice.”

Regarding the ankle monitor, he stated, “I feel supreme humiliation.” He added, “I am 70-years-old, I was president of the republic for four years.”

Bolsonaro denied intentions to leave Brazil, though he indicated he would meet with Trump if his passport, seized last year, were returned. He also mentioned contacting the senior U.S. diplomat in Brazil to discuss Trump’s proposed tariff.

On Friday, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly, referencing prior statements from Trump, asserted that “Bolsonaro and his supporters are under attack from a weaponized court system.”

Trump shared a letter he had sent to Bolsonaro on Thursday.

In the letter, he wrote, “I have seen the terrible treatment you are receiving at the hands of an unjust system turned against you. This trial should end immediately!”

Moraes stated in his decision that the restrictions on Bolsonaro were based on allegations that the former president attempted to induce the “head of state of a foreign nation” to interfere in Brazilian courts, an act the judge deemed an assault on national sovereignty.

The judge further noted that Trump’s threats of increased tariffs aimed to provoke a severe economic crisis in Brazil, thereby interfering with the nation’s judicial system.

Bolsonaro is also barred from contacting significant allies, such as his son Eduardo Bolsonaro, a Brazilian congressman who has been seeking support for his father in the U.S.

The former Brazilian president informed Reuters that he had been in near-daily communication with his son and refuted any claims of organized U.S. lobbying efforts for him. He added that he anticipated his son would pursue U.S. citizenship to avoid returning to Brazil.

Moraes’s decision was upheld by a five-judge panel of the Brazilian Supreme Court.

This report includes contributions from Reuters.