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US Revokes Visa of Brazil's Ambassador Amid Diplomatic Row
🇩🇰 Denmark /Elections & Politics

US Revokes Visa of Brazil's Ambassador Amid Diplomatic Row

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The United States has revoked the visa of Brazil's ambassador to the U.S., Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti.
  • The U.S. State Department cited Brazil's delay in approving a new U.S. ambassador as the reason for the revocation.
  • This action is part of an ongoing diplomatic dispute, following Brazil's earlier refusal to grant visas to two U.S. officials.

The United States has revoked the visa of Brazil's ambassador to the U.S., Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, escalating a diplomatic dispute between the two nations. An unnamed U.S. State Department official confirmed the revocation, clarifying that it does not equate to expelling the ambassador from the country.

According to the U.S. official, the decision stems from Brazil's perceived delay in approving a new American ambassador. "We believe the Brazilian government owes us a swift and positive response to our request," the official stated. This move follows Brazil's earlier refusal in July to grant visas to two U.S. officials who intended to meet with Brazilian electoral authorities.

A high-ranking diplomat's visa in this country was revoked or canceled. It is not the same as throwing the person out of the country.

— U.S. State Department officialConfirming the revocation of Brazil's ambassador's visa.

Brazil cited concerns about the "risk of political exploitation" for denying the visas to the U.S. officials. These officials were reportedly planning to discuss election integrity, religious freedom, and freedom of speech with various Brazilian representatives. The visa denial occurred after Brazil's far-right presidential candidate, Flavio Bolsonaro, repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims about the security of the country's electronic voting system. The U.S. has previously criticized Brazil's handling of diplomatic matters, with former President Donald Trump alleging a "witch hunt" against Bolsonaro.

We believe the Brazilian government owes us a swift and positive response to our request.

— U.S. State Department officialExplaining the U.S. rationale for revoking the ambassador's visa.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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