Between Truth and Amnesia: State Terrorism, Human Rights Violations and Transitional Justice in Brazil

Abstract

Abstract:The military rule in Brazil between 1964 and 1985 employed less violence than similar authoritarian regimes in neighbouring countries, and attempted to maintain a façade of legitimacy by allowing for a consented opposition. Nevertheless, Brazil was the last Latin American nation to establish a truth commission. Ever since the Amnesty Law was passed in 1979, authorities and citizens have both struggled to come to terms with the human rights violations committed in the past. The Brazilian government went as far as offering material reparations to the presumed victims without disclosing official information to establish what the reparations were being paid for. Is it better to remember or forget? This Exploration discusses transitional justice strategies, and documents recent developments in Brazil's political history. Keywords: Brazil, transitional justice, historical memory, truth commission, state terrorism.Resumen: Entre la verdad y la amnesia. Terrorismo de Estado, violaciones de derechos humanos y justicia transicional en BrasilEntre 1964 y 1985, el régimen militar en Brasil empleó menos violencia que regímenes autoritarios de países vecinos, e intentó mantener una fachada de legitimidad. Sin embargo, Brasil fue el último país latinoamericano en establecer una comisión de la verdad. Desde la aprobación de la Ley de Amnistía en 1979, tanto las autoridades como los ciudadanos luchan para hacer justicia a las violaciones de derechos humanos cometidas en el pasado. El gobierno brasileño llegó al extremo de ofrecer reparaciones materiales a las presuntas vícti-mas, sin revelar informaciones oficiales para establecer por qué las estaba pagando. ¿Es mejor recordar u olvidar? Esta Exploración analiza las estrategias de justicia transicional y documenta evoluciones recientes en la política histórica brasileña. Palabras clave: Brasil, justicia transicional, memoria histórica, comisión de la verdad, terrorismo de Estado.

Evaluating the Pitfalls of External Statebuilding in Post-2003 Iraq (2003–2021)

“…The 'third wave' of democratization in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and parts of Africa, constituted the large-scale political transformations (transitions) that both urgently required consideration of the policies and mechanisms of transitional justice, and inspired new scholarly studies of the topic. From these experiences and this periodwhat Ruti Teitel (2005) describes as 'Phase II' of transitional justicethere emerged the practices of truth commissions in various formats, such as those established in Chile in 1990, El Salvador in 1992, and Guatemala in 1994, and most well-known in South African in 1996 Along with these new mechanisms and processes there were active debates about the relative merits of lustration or the vetting of former officials of authoritarian regimes, and the alternatives of 'forgiveness' pursued either actively through general amnesty provisions or more passively through 'amnesia'the implicit or explicit societal and political choice to forget the past and focus on the futureas pathways towards societal and political reconciliation (Krog 1999;Cousens and Kumar 2001;Mani 2002;Graybill 2004;Borer 2006;Tremlett 2006;du Bois and du Bois-Pedain 2009;Quinn 2010;Goes 2013).…”

From absent to present pasts: civil society, democracy and the shifting place of memory in Brazil

“…Mainwaring (1986) for example explains the outgoing regime's endeavours to split the emergent opposition into discordant factions. Meanwhile, Goes (2013) highlights that during the Constituent Assembly of 1988, most of the clauses that could have curtailed military impunity were skilfully and strategically omitted. Within the new civilian administration, military officials remained in positions of influence.…”

“…In 2007, the Amnesty Commission extended its work, collaborating with trade unions, universities and faith groups across the country to initiate caravanas: local hearings that allow victims of repression the possibility of public acknowledgement, apology and reparation for the crimes of Brazil's dictatorship. Under Lula's leadership, the possibility of establishing a Truth Commission was publicly debated for the first time (Goes 2013). Later, Dilma Rousseff's presidency presented an opportune moment for the creation of a Truth Commission, with a president who was herself a victim of human rights violations under the military regime (Engstrom 2012).…”