Brazil’s top Supreme Court justice, Alexandre de Moraes, unfroze the bank accounts of Elon Musk’s companies, Starlink and social media platform X, on Friday, following the collection of over $3 million in fines imposed by the country.
This decision comes after de Moraes had earlier upheld a ban on X within Brazil earlier this month.
The temporary ban was originally enforced by the court in late August, after Musk failed to appoint a legal representative in an ongoing case.
The case, which has been developing for months, involved Brazil’s demand for the suspension of certain social media platforms, including X, which were implicated in investigations into so-called “digital militias” accused of spreading misinformation and hate speech.
Starlink and X Assets Frozen (Photo: Staei Marcelino)
The court confirmed on Friday that the ban on X will remain in place until Musk names a legal representative in Brazil.
Musk has repeatedly criticized de Moraes on his X account, saying that the justice “should be impeached for violating his oath of office,” adding that it’s “only a matter of time before this criminal is behind bars,” and referring to him as a “dictator.”
In his latest comments, Musk stated, “X is the most used news source in Brazil. It is what the people want. Now, the tyrant de Voldemort is crushing the people’s right to free speech.”
Justice de Moraes, in his decision, ordered the full and immediate suspension of X in Brazil until all court orders were fulfilled, which included the payment of the fines and the appointment of a legal representative in the country.
