Rubio Strips Brazilian Judges of Visas Over Bolsonaro Judgment

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has reportedly stripped eight of Brazil's 11 supreme court judges of their US visas as the White House escalates its campaign to help the country's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, avoid justice over his alleged attempt to seize power with a military coup.

- Tom Phillips

Bolsonaro, a far-right populist with ties to Donald Trump's Maga movement, is on trial for allegedly masterminding a murderous plot to cling to power after losing the 2022 election to his leftwing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro is expected to be convicted in the coming weeks and faces a jail sentence of up to 43 years.

As the day of judgment nears, Trump has been increasing pressure on the court and President Lula's administration. On 9 July, the US president announced he would impose 50% tariffs on all Brazilian imports as of 1 August, partly as a result of the supposed persecution of his ally. The move triggered an outpouring of nationalist anger in the South American country, with Lula calling it "unacceptable blackmail".

On Friday, after federal police raided Bolsonaro's house and fitted him with an electronic tag to stop him absconding, Rubio announced further moves in support of the defendant, who he claimed was the victim of a "political witch-hunt".