X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter is to shutdown its operations in Brazil following a censorship order by Supreme court judge Alexandre de Moraes.

The social media platform said a Brazilian Supreme Court judge, Alexandre de Moraes, threatened its legal representative in Brazil with arrest if it did not comply with his “censorship orders”.

People in Brazil are still able to use X, Musk said on Saturday.

Mr Moraes had ordered X accounts he accused of spreading disinformation – many of whom are supporters of the former right-wing president Jair Bolsanaro – to be blocked while they are under investigation.

After X owner Musk criticised Mr Moraes, the judge ordered 100,000 reais ($19,774) fines a day for any account that X reactivated, and stressed the possible liability of the company’s legal representatives in Brazil if this were to happen.

He also put Mr Musk under investigation for charges including the obstruction of justice.

Elon Musk claims Moraes secretly threatened one of the company’s legal representatives in the South American country with arrest if it did not comply with legal orders to take down some content from its platform.

The fine is a part of Moraes’ attempts to curb “digital militias,” as he calls them, and allies of former far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro from operating on X.

“The decision to close the X office in Brazil was difficult, but, if we had agreed to @alexandre’s (illegal) secret censorship and private information handover demands, there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed,” Musk added in a post on X.