US Chamber sues OAS for “censorship” in Brazil

The Global Subcommittee on Human Rights of the US House of Representatives asked the OAS (Organization of American States) to “information about serious allegations of human rights violations in Brazil”. The request was made in a letter (in full, in English – PDF – 182 kB) dated May 3rd.

The text says that the violations would have been “committed by Brazilian authorities on a large scale”. There is no mention of the STF (Supreme Federal Court) minister Alexandre de Moraes. The judge was cited in a report (in full, in English – PDF – 37 MB) by the Judicial Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives by “censor” any Brazilian opposition with “a platform for criticism” to the current “left-wing government”.

The letter sent to the OAS is signed by the president of the subcommittee, Republican deputy Chris Smith, and addressed to the president of the IACHR (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights), Roberta Clarke, and to the entity’s special rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Pedro José Vaca Villarreal.

Smith stated that “credible allegations of mass violations of freedom of expression were made, including censorship imposed through abuses of judicial authority and the muzzling of opposition media outlets”.

The letter reads: “In view of the mandate of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and particularly the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, to promote respect for human rights and freedom of expression, including to monitor and collect relevant reports, information on developments in Brazil , I respectfully ask that you share any information you have about these human rights violations”.

The congressman questioned the OAS about the “steps and measures” adopted by the organization to “deal with the current situation in Brazil” and whether there would be suggestions for how the US Chamber can act on the issue.

REPORT

The report of the Judicial Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives was published on April 17. Called “The attack on freedom of expression abroad and the silence of the Biden administration: the case of Brazil”the document is signed by Republican Jim Jordan, political ally of former President Donald Trump (Republican Party).

The text was published after X (former Twitter) sent the commission a compilation of requests made by the Supreme Court and the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) for the social network to take down profiles and content on the platform.

“Records reveal that, since at least 2022, the Federal Supreme Court in Brazil, where Moraes serves as a judge, and the Superior Electoral Court of Brazil, also led by Moraes, have ordered X Corp to suspend or remove nearly 150 accounts on the platform. Most of the censorship demands were specifically directed at critics of the current Brazilian government,” the report says.

The document mentions the clash between X and Moraes that has been going on since Elon Musk, owner of the social network, called Moraes “dictator” and said that the minister should be impeached. The report also says that X is being “forced” by court decisions blocking certain accounts in the country. Read more about the case here.