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Jun 18, 20261
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US State Department Defends Eduardo Bolsonaro, Criticises Brazilian Court Conviction as 'Lawfare'
The US State Department defended Eduardo Bolsonaro after his conviction by Brazil's Supreme Court for attempting to orchestrate American sanctions against judges, calling it political persecution and 'lawfare.' The statement emphasised that political disputes should be resolved through elections, not judicial sentences, reflecting broader US criticism of Brazil's political trajectory.
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Quick Facts
Who
Eduardo Bolsonaro
What
Eduardo Bolsonaro convicted by Brazil's Supreme Court
When
18 June 2026
Where
Brazil
- Eduardo Bolsonaro convicted by Brazil's Supreme Court
- Conviction for coercion and attempting to orchestrate American sanctions against judges
- US State Department issued statement defending Bolsonaro
- State Department characterised conviction as lawfare and political persecution
- Trump mentioned the case at G7 summit
The United States State Department has defended former federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro following his conviction by Brazil's Supreme Court, characterising the sentence as part of a pattern of political persecution and legal warfare against the opposition. Bolsonaro was sentenced to four years and two months in prison by the Federal Supreme Court's First Panel for coercion, having been convicted of attempting to orchestrate American sanctions against Brazilian judges.
In an official statement issued through a departmental spokesperson and first reported by Reuters, the State Department asserted that the conviction represents the latest episode "in a pattern of persecution and lawfare by Brazilian courts against its political opposition." The statement emphasised that political disputes should be resolved through democratic elections rather than judicial convictions. The department is headed by Republican Marco Rubio, who earlier this month excluded Brazil from a list of US allies in Latin America, describing the region as generally friendly to the United States while citing Brazil's political challenges.
President Donald Trump referenced the case during the G7 summit on Wednesday, stating he had heard that "Bolsonaro Jr." had been arrested. However, Trump appeared to confuse Eduardo Bolsonaro with his brother Flávio Bolsonaro, a senator and pre-candidate for the presidency, noting that Flávio "was doing well in the polls" before the arrest. Trump later described Brazil as a "politically difficult country" when asked about discussions with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva regarding designating criminal organisations as terrorist groups.
Rubio's recent comments to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee highlighted tensions in Latin America, noting that aside from Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela, the region comprises allies and leaders friendly to the United States, though Brazil faces challenges amid its electoral cycle and the Colombian government presents problems.
Why This Matters
This statement signals a significant diplomatic rift between the US and Brazil's judiciary, with the Trump administration directly challenging Brazil's legal system and signaling potential alignment with Bolsonaro's political faction. For readers, this reflects escalating US-Brazil tensions that could affect bilateral relations, trade negotiations, and regional stability, while highlighting how US foreign policy under Trump is positioning itself against judicial accountability measures in Latin America.