British businessman William Browder, the main articulator of the magnitsky law in the United States, said Minister Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Court (STF) does not fit the categories provided for by the American legislation for the application of international sanctions.
In a publication on the social network X, Browder pointed out that he spent years defending the creation of the law with the objective of punishing “serious violators of human rights and cleptocrats”. According to him, “the Brazilian judge Moraes does not fit any of these categories.”
The statement occurs after the United States announce sanctions against the STF minister, a measure considered unprecedented in diplomatic relations, as Moraes is the first authority of a democratic country to be punished with the law.
Creation of the Law
Browder led the international movement that resulted in the approval of the magnitsky law in 36 countries, including the US, which adopted the standard in 2012 during the Obama government. The initiative was motivated by the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, a browner lawyer who denounced a state corruption scheme in 2008. After being arrested, tortured and killed in prison, his case became a symbol of the fight against abuses committed by authorities.
Prior to the episode, Browder had been the largest foreign investor in Russia, but was expelled from the country in 2005 on the grounds of representing a threat to national security after exposing fraud in state companies.
