Elon Musk demands ouster of Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes: ’Betrayed constitution’
Elon Musk, the Tesla boss, on Sunday, called for the removal of a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, Alexandre de Moraes, accusing him of censorship for blocking accounts suspected of spreading disinformation.
Elon Musk, the Tesla boss, on April 7, called for the removal of a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, accusing him of censorship for blocking accounts suspected of spreading disinformation.
The billionaire entrepreneur said Alexandre de Moraes “has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil. He should resign or be impeached.”
The series of scathing attacks against the Brazilian justice began on Saturday evening, as the Space X chief took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and stated, “We will probably lose all revenue in Brazil and have to shut down our office there.” Elon Musk alleged that Alexandre de Moraes was threatening to “cut off access” to the platform and said, “But principles matter more than profit.”
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On Sunday, the Brazilian Supreme Court Justice opened an inquiry into Elon Musk, accusing him of obstructing justice through his social media company X, as per a court document.
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Alexandre de Moraes ruled, “X shall refrain from disobeying any court order already issued, including performing any profile reactivation that has been blocked by this Supreme Court.” The judge further imposed a penalty for non-compliance and said, “If X fails to comply with the order to block certain accounts, the company will be fined 100,000 reais (USD 19,740) per day.”
All about Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes
The Brazilian Supreme Court justice, who is in the limelight, is one of the 11 members of Brazil's High Court who presides over the country's Superior Electoral Tribunal, or TSE.
Critics accuse Alexandre de Moraes of limiting and prohibiting free speech in Brazil. However, the judge is known to have led the battle against disinformation in Brazil. Recently, Moraes ordered blocking accounts of influential figures on social media. It was reported that most of these blocked influential figures were supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
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Jair Messias Bolsonaro, a Brazilian politician and retired military officer, served as the 38th President of Brazil from 2019 to 2022. The Moraes-led TSE accused Jair Messias Bolsonaro of spreading false information about Brazil's electoral system, and hence, he was declared ineligible to run for office in the 2023 polls.
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Business NewsNewsElon Musk demands ouster of Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes: ’Betrayed constitution’
First Published:8 Apr 2024, 06:16 AM IST
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