(MENAFN) Brazil’s Health Minister Alexandre Padilha on Friday condemned the U.S. government's decision to revoke tourist visas for his wife and 10-year-old daughter, branding the move “cowardly” and accusing Washington of targeting those unwilling to submit to its political pressure.

The visa cancellations appear linked to broader tensions between the two nations over Brazil’s ongoing legal actions against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who currently remains under house arrest facing charges of attempting a coup.

In an interview with media, Padilha attributed the decision to Bolsonaro's supporters, ridiculing the notion that a 10-year-old child could be considered a threat to the United States.

The controversy follows a wave of punitive measures from the U.S. earlier this month, including the imposition of 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian exports. Washington has also pressured Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court to abandon its prosecution of Bolsonaro.

In addition to the Padilha family, the U.S. revoked visas for multiple Brazilian officials — among them Supreme Court justices and two Health Ministry representatives — citing their roles in the “More Doctors” initiative, a program that deployed Cuban physicians to underserved Brazilian communities.

Institutional Relations Minister Gleisi Hoffmann defended Padilha in a public statement, denouncing the visa cancellations and praising his leadership. He and his team “saved lives, unlike Bolsonaro’s actions during the pandemic,” she said.

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