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The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, announced this Friday that his government has prohibited entry to the country for Darren Beattie, an advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, who intended to visit former president Jair Bolsonaro in the prison where he is serving a sentence for coup-related activities.
The decision was confirmed during an official event in Rio de Janeiro, where Lula explained that he ordered the prevention of the U.S. official's entry after it was revealed that he planned to meet with Bolsonaro.
"That American who said he would come to visit Jair Bolsonaro has been banned from entering. I prohibited him as long as they don't release my Health Minister's visas," the Brazilian president stated.
According to diplomatic sources cited by EFE, the decision was made due to the "omission and falsification" of relevant information when applying for the visa in Washington.
The Brazilian Foreign Ministry had initially granted Beattie a visa to participate in an event in São Paulo, but later learned through the press that the advisor also intended to visit Bolsonaro in prison, a plan that was not disclosed in the official application.
The Brazilian government believes that this omission constitutes sufficient legal grounds to revoke the visa, in accordance with the country's immigration legislation.
The controversy is also linked to a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. Lula recalled that the Trump administration recently revoked the visa of his Health Minister, Alexandre Padilha, as well as those of his wife and his 10-year-old daughter.
According to the Brazilian president, the measure was a retaliation for the program that hires Cuban doctors to serve isolated regions of Brazil.
The visit of Beattie to the former president had been initially authorized by judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the judicial proceedings against Bolsonaro and permitted the meeting for March 18.
However, Brazilian Chancellor Mauro Vieira warned that the meeting of a U.S. presidential advisor with Bolsonaro in prison could be interpreted as an "undue interference" in Brazilian politics, especially in an election year.
Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence for his involvement in an attempt to stage a coup after losing the 2022 presidential elections to Lula.
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