WASHINGTON, July 30 (KUNA) -- US President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional an additional "ad valorem duty rate of 40 percent" on certain products of Brazil, thus taking the overall duties to 50 percent.
Brazil's judicial actions, "taken under the pretext of combatting 'disinformation,' 'fake news,' or 'anti-democratic' or 'hateful' content, endanger the economy of the United States by tyrannically and arbitrarily coercing United States companies to censor political speech, turn over sensitive United States user data, or change their content moderation policies on pain of extraordinary fines, criminal prosecution, asset freezes, or complete exclusion from the Brazilian market.
"These actions also chill and limit expression in the United States, violate human rights, and undermine the interest that the United States has in protecting its citizens and companies at home and abroad," Trump said in a White House statement on Wednesday. "Brazilian officials are also persecuting former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro.
"The Government of Brazil has unjustly charged Bolsonaro with multiple crimes related to Bolsonaro's 2022 runoff election, and the Supreme Court of Brazil has misguidedly ruled that Bolsonaro must stand trial for these unjustified criminal charges.
"Political persecution, through drummed up prosecutions, threatens the orderly development of Brazil's political, administrative, and economic institutions, including undermining the ability of Brazil to hold a free and fair election of the presidency in 2026.
"The Government of Brazil's treatment of former President Bolsonaro also contributes to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Brazil, to politically motivated intimidation in that country, and to human rights abuses.
"I find that the unprecedented actions taken by the Government of Brazil have violated the free expression rights of United States persons, interfered with the economy of the United States by coercing United States and United States-headquartered companies to censor United States persons for speech protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution on pain of extraordinary fines, criminal prosecution, asset freezes, or complete exclusion from the Brazilian market, subverted the interest of the United States in protecting its citizens and companies, undermined the rule of law in Brazil, and jeopardized the orderly development of Brazil's political, administrative, and economic institutions.
"The policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Brazil are repugnant to the moral and political values of democratic and free societies and conflict with the policy of the United States to promote democratic governments throughout the world, the principle of free expression and free and fair elections, the rule of law, and respect for human rights.
"NOW, THEREFORE, I -- find that the scope and gravity of the recent policies, practices, and actions of -- Brazil constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States and hereby declare a national emergency with respect to that threat.
"To deal with the national emergency declared in this order, I determine that it is necessary and appropriate to impose an additional ad valorem duty rate of 40 percent on certain products of Brazil, as detailed below," President Trump went on.
"In my judgment, this action is necessary and appropriate to deal with the national emergency declared in this order. "I am taking the action in this order only for the purpose of addressing the national emergency declared in this order and not for any other purpose," he added. (pickup previous) amm.gb