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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), coauthor of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, criticized the Trump Administration for using bipartisan Global Magnitsky human rights sanctions authority for a partisan purpose, and  demanded that Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio terminate sanctions against the Brazilian judicial official conducting the trial of Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro for his alleged role in a 2023 coup d’état plot.

“The Global Magnitsky Act is designed to hold accountable individuals who commit acts of corruption and gross violations of human rights,” McGovern wrote. “It is therefore disgraceful that the Trump Administration has deployed GloMag sanctions in a manner contrary to their purpose by undermining the Brazilian judiciary’s efforts to defend democratic institutions and uphold rule of law.”

The Global Magnitsky Act, often referred to as “GloMag,” empowers the president to deny visas to and freeze U.S.-based assets of individuals who engage in corruption and gross violations of human rights. Previous targets of GloMag sanctions include former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh, who killed and tortured political opponents, Chinese officials involved in serious human rights abuses against Uyghurs, and several individuals connected to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

Last month, the Departments of Treasury and State announced GloMag sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is presiding over the trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro, a close Trump ally, is one of 34 officials charged with attempting to incite a military coup after Bolsonaro lost the 2022 election. 

“The Administration’s claim that the prosecution of individuals who attempted a coup constitutes an ‘unlawful witch hunt’ is not only false, but an affront to the Brazilian electorate and the entire concept of rule of law,” McGovern said. He further warned that the misuse of Global Magnitsky sanctions makes U.S. human rights policy vulnerable to claims of politicization from countries like China and Russia and reduces our government’s ability to meaningfully address human rights abuses.  

“By cloaking cronyism in the language of human rights, the Administration impairs the credibility of the United States and its ability to promote human rights abroad,” McGovern concluded. 

Representative McGovern is the author of the bipartisan Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012, which imposed sanctions on Russian officials deemed responsible for the death of Russian tax lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison. The bill is seen as landmark human rights legislation that established the framework of individual sanctions designed to hold human rights abusers accountable. He is also the coauthor of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2016, which applied the Magnitsky framework to all countries.

The full text of the letter is available HERE.

The full text of the letter in Portuguese is available HERE.