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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
The logos of Brazil's Federal Supreme Court (L) and social media platform X. /CFP
Brazil's Supreme Court on Monday ratified the decision by one of its judges to suspend Elon Musk's X social network for alleged judicial transgressions.
Access to the network in the country has been blocked since Saturday morning, hours after Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of the platform.
Moraes's ruling came after Musk failed to comply with an order to appoint a new legal representative for the company in Brazil – a requirement X has rejected as "illegal."
Moraes and Musk have been locked in a high-profile feud for months, with the judge vowing to fight disinformation and Musk claiming the supremacy of free speech.
On Monday, five Supreme Court judges, including Moraes himself, voted in a virtual session to uphold his ruling.
"Elon Musk demonstrated his total disrespect for Brazilian sovereignty and, in particular, the judiciary, positioning himself as a true supranational entity immune to the laws of countries," Moraes said in the new ruling.
His colleague Flavio Dino added that "freedom of expression does not excuse repeated violations of the legal system."
Musk, who also owns Tesla and SpaceX, reacted with fury to last Friday's order, branding Moraes as an "evil dictator cosplaying as a judge" and accusing him of "trying to destroy democracy in Brazil."
The standoff began when Moraes ordered the suspension of several X accounts belonging to supporters of Brazil's former far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro.
In April, Moraes ordered an investigation of Musk, accusing him of reactivating some of the banned accounts.
Musk is also the subject of a separate investigation into the alleged use of public money to orchestrate disinformation campaigns in favor of Bolsonaro and those close to him.
In August, X announced it was shuttering its offices in Brazil due to Moraes's actions, but assured clients they would still have access to its services.
Until Friday, X counted about 22 million users in Brazil, according to the site DataReportal.
(With input from AFP)