Social media company X announced Saturday that it would cease operations in Brazil, saying the country’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had threatened to arrest its legal representative in the South American country if it did not comply with his orders.
X is withdrawing all remaining Brazilian staff in the country “immediately.” The company assured that the service would continue to be available to the Brazilian population. Elon Musk’s company did not specify how it plans to suspend operations while continuing to provide services.
Earlier this year, the company clashed with Mr. de Moraes over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation on X. The digital platform said its most recent orders amounted to censorship and shared a copy of the document on X.
The Supreme Court’s press office did not immediately respond to email requests from The Associated Press for comment or to confirm the veracity of the document.
In the United States, freedom of expression is a much more permissive constitutional right than in many countries, including Brazil, where Judge de Moraes in April ordered an investigation into Elon Musk for spreading defamatory false news and another investigation for potential obstruction, incitement and criminal organization.
Brazil’s political right has long accused Mr. de Moraes of overstepping his bounds to suppress free speech and engage in political persecution.
Whether investigating former President Jair Bolsonaro, banning his far-right allies from social media or ordering the arrests of supporters who stormed government buildings on Jan. 8, 2023, Mr. de Moraes has aggressively pursued those he sees as undermining Brazil’s young democracy.
“Mr. Moraes chose to threaten our staff in Brazil rather than respect the law or due process,” the company said in a statement published on X.
In a tweet Saturday morning, self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” and X owner Elon Musk added that Mr. de Moraes “is a total disgrace to justice.”