Mr. Musk made startling revelations: Justice de Moraes, he said, had threatened to impose massive fines, arrest X employees, and cut off all access to the social network in Brazil if the company did not comply with his illegal orders. Mr. Musk emphasized that although he would likely lose all revenue from X in Brazil and have to close all offices in the country, “principles matter more than profit”—a significant statement, considering that Brazil is the fourth-largest market for the platform, with nearly 30 million users, representing more than 14 percent of the country’s population.
The billionaire further exposed the absurdity of Justice de Moraes’s actions, revealing that X repeatedly received orders to suspend accounts within two hours, under the threat of heavy fines. The last straw was when the platform was demanded to globally de-platform Brazilian Congress members and prominent journalists (me included) without informing them that the censorship was a result of court orders, forcing X to pretend that the suspensions were because of violations of the platform’s terms of use.
On the following day after Mr. Musk’s online criticism, the Brazilian justice took the outrageous step of adding the billionaire owner of X to the list of those he is criminally investigating for “promoting disinformation and hate speech”—a clear act of retribution.
Justice de Moraes, a Brazilian Supreme Court justice and president of the country’s Superior Electoral Court, has been embroiled in controversy because of his alleged alarming abuse of power, as now exposed by the “Twitter Files Brazil.” Justice de Moraes has allegedly engaged in politically motivated censorship, disregarded laws limiting his authority, and weaponized the federal police against Mr. Musk in retaliation for allegations made against him. His actions have undermined the integrity of the judiciary and threatened the foundations of democracy in Brazil.
Justice de Moraes’s conduct is, to me, clearly wrong and goes against the principles of democracy and free speech. By allegedly blackmailing a foreign private company to fulfill the desires of the court he leads and denying those censored their constitutional rights to a full defense and adversarial proceedings, he has committed crimes of responsibility that should lead to his resignation or impeachment.
Mr. Musk’s actions have already attracted unprecedented attention to the issue, but the international legacy media remains largely silent. However, He has been posting daily against Justice de Moraes and promises to publish more information about how the law has allegedly been violated by the Brazilian Supreme Court justice.
All eyes are now on whether Mr. Musk will fulfill his promise and remove the restrictions on Brazilians imposed by Justice de Moraes. As someone who has had his account blocked in Brazil, I am eagerly awaiting this move. If Mr. Musk follows through, it is likely that X will be completely blocked in Brazil, adding the country to the list of dictatorships such as China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Myanmar where X does not operate.
Ultimately, it is the Brazilian Senate that must take action and hold Justice de Moraes accountable for his alleged crimes against the Constitution and the people of Brazil, ensuring that democracy and individual rights are protected. But the international community has a crucial role to play in this battle for free speech and human rights in Brazil, and the pressure has been increasing. Mr. Musk’s recent actions have played a key role in this.
For example, according to the owner of X, he has received an inquiry from the U.S. House of Representatives regarding the situation in Brazil. It is extremely likely that the House will hold at least one hearing on the human rights situation in the country, and Mr. Musk will probably be invited to testify. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) recently pledged to introduce the Brazilian Democracy Act, which would impose sanctions and restrictions on Brazil until human rights are restored in the country. This legislation would be in line with the measures the United States already takes against other nations that violate human rights and democratic principles.
These developments would represent a terrible embarrassment for Justice de Moraes and would serve to shed more light on what is happening in Brazil in a way that even the legacy media could no longer turn a blind eye to. If this happens, the chances of Justice de Moraes—who has already felt the blow—falling and freedom of expression being restored in Brazil will greatly increase.
The “Twitter Files Brazil” have exposed the extent to which a single individual can abuse his authority and undermine the foundations of a large democracy. With Mr. Musk, the free speech hero, leading the charge and the world watching, there is hope that justice will prevail in Brazil and that the country can begin to heal and rebuild its democracy on a foundation of freedom and respect for individual rights.
