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Visa revoked in escalation
The United States revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, as diplomatic tensions escalated between Washington and Brasília ahead of Brazil’s elections.
““Both justifications offered for the decision are false,” said the statement.”
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the Brazilian government repudiates the decision announced by the U.S. Department of State to alter the visa of Brazil's Ambassador in Washington, calling the U.S. justifications “false.”
The U.S. action came after Brazil denied visas to two U.S. State Department officials who wanted to visit Brazil last month, and the U.S. State Department spokesperson described the move as a “reciprocal action.”
The BBC reported that the U.S. decision did not mean Viotti was being expelled from the U.S., while the U.S. said “additional diplomatic options remain on the table.”
Brazil and U.S. trade accusations
Brazil said the U.S. move was part of interference in Brazil’s domestic political process, with the Brazilian presidency telling the BBC that the planned visit by U.S. officials was “an unacceptable attempt to interfere in the country's domestic political process.”
In response, a State Department spokesperson told the BBC that “We communicated continually with the Brazilian government for weeks and have given the Brazilian government every opportunity to do the right thing,” while describing Brazil’s delays and obfuscation.
The BBC also reported that the visa cancellation followed Brazil’s blocking of visas for a U.S. delegation expected to meet right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing the last election.
The BBC further stated that Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court has rejected Flávio Bolsonaro’s claims about Brazil’s electronic voting machines, and that the U.S. and Brazil have been in disputes after the U.S. reimposed tariffs on Brazil and designated Brazilian gangs as terrorist organisations.
What happens next
Multiple outlets said the visa revocation could be reversed if Brazil grants diplomatic approval for the U.S. ambassador-designate, Daniel Perez, with the BBC reporting that “additional diplomatic options remain on the table.”
““additional diplomatic options remain on the table”.”
The U.S. position, as described by the BBC, was that the action did not expel Viotti, and that her visa would be restored if Brazil granted consent to the new U.S. ambassador to Brasília.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that Brazil said the process for granting agrement is confidential under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and accused Washington of publicly announcing its nominee before formally requesting Brazil’s approval, adding that the U.S. request remains under review.
The dispute is unfolding alongside other bilateral frictions, including the BBC’s account of U.S. tariff reimpositions and the Anadolu Ajansı report that Brazil criticized continuing U.S. sanctions against Brazilian officials, including Supreme Court justices and senior executive branch members.
