Dirty Wars and Democracy

By Jan Roch, BBC, Sao Paulo, Oct. 27, 2009

Twenty four years after the military left power in Brazil, the government is to create a Truth Commission to investigate crimes committed by the security forces between 1964 and 1985.

Brazil is the only country in Latin America which has not investigated deaths, disappearances and torture which took place during its dictatorship, or put alleged perpetrators on trial.

Although the number of victims is far smaller than those who died during military rule in neighbouring Argentina and Chile, nearly 500 people were killed or disappeared in Brazil. Thousands more were tortured, exiled or deprived of their political rights.

All attempts to bring people to justice have foundered on the blanket provisions of the 1979 Amnesty Law.

This not only authorised the release of political prisoners and the return of exiled opponents, but amnestied all political crimes and “connected crimes”, which was understood to mean torture.

Now, just a year before he leaves office, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has decided to set up a commission to investigate crimes committed during the dictatorship. Several of his ministers were themselves arrested and tortured by the military.

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Folha de São Paulo, domingo, 16 de agosto de 2009

FABIANO MAISONNAVE, DE CARACAS

Documento dos EUA revela que, em reunião com americano dois anos antes do golpe, brasileiro disse “estar trabalhando” para derrubar chileno

Relato da conversa mostra que foram tratados também temas como a instabilidade boliviana, a volta de Cuba à OEA e o Tratado de Itaipu

Em conversa com o colega americano Richard Nixon, o presidente Emílio Médici afirmou que “estava trabalhando” para derrubar o governo do socialista chileno Salvador Allende, revelam documentos liberados pelo Departamento de Estado dos EUA e compilados pelo instituto de pesquisa não governamental Arquivo Nacional de Segurança, aos quais a Folha teve acesso.

O encontro ocorreu no Salão Oval da Casa Branca, às 10h de 9 de dezembro de 1971. Do lado brasileiro, só Médici estava presente, deixando o Itamaraty de fora. Sem falar inglês, precisou da ajuda do general Vernon Walters, que tinha forte ligação com o Brasil -era o adido militar americano no golpe de 1964.

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Los Angeles Times, August 16, 2009

By Andrew Zajac

Nixon’s offer in 1971 to help undermine Allende’s government came after Brazil’s president said his military officers were working with counterparts in Chile, a newly declassified document says.

Reporting from Washington – President Nixon’s determination to eliminate the socialist government of Salvador Allende led him to offer financial support to efforts by the Brazilian military to undermine the Chilean leader, according to a newly declassified summary of a White House meeting between Nixon and the president of Brazil.

“The president said that it was very important that Brazil and the United States work closely in this field. . . . If money were required or other discreet aid, we might be able to make it available,” stated the synopsis of Nixon’s December 1971 conversation with President Emilio Medici.

The offer of U.S. help came after Medici told Nixon that Brazilian military officers were working with counterparts in Chile and that he thought Chilean armed forces were capable of overthrowing Allende.

The Chilean leader died during a U.S.-backed overthrow of his elected government in September 1973.

The summary was among a batch of records concerning U.S.-Brazil collaboration in opposing left-leaning governments in Latin America in the early 1970s posted Saturday on the National Security Archive website.

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AFP, August 7, 2009

BRASILIA — Brazil’s Supreme Court has approved the extradition to Argentina of retired Uruguayan military officer, Manuel Cordero, wanted for his role in Operation Condor, a plan to eliminate political opponents., in the 1970s

The top Brazilian court said Thursday that Cordero faces several charges, including responsibility for the 1976 “disappearance” of Argentine child Aldaberto Soba Fernandes.

The charges are linked to Cordero’s involvement in Operation Condor, the secret plan hatched by South American dictators in the 1970s to eliminate their political opponents in the region.

He is wanted by Argentina for the torture, disappearance and killings of leftist Uruguayan activists in 1976 in the “Automotores Orletti” secret detention center in Buenos Aires.

Cordero, 70, has been under house arrest since December 19, avoiding prison due to an earlier heart surgery. He married a Brazilian woman 32 years ago.

After three years at large, the former Uruguayan Army colonel and intelligence officer was arrested in February 2007 in the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, just across the border with Uruguay.

Uruguay has also requested Cordero’s extradition but he is being sent to Argentina because that is where the alleged crimes took place.

Memorias Reveladas: Centro de Referencia de Lutas Politicas no Brasil (1964-1985):

http://www.memoriasreveladas.arquivonacional.gov.br/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?tpl=home

TheBrazilian web site which will archive documents from the dictatorship.

AFP, 13 May 2009

BRASILIA (AFP) — Brazil has shone a light into one of the most troubled periods of its recent past, as the government published documents dating from the country’s 20 years of dictatorship.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva launched a website on Wednesday containing information dating from 1964 to 1985, when the country was under the sway of the military.

“We are doing Brazilian democracy a service when we unveil some of the mysteries that persist about our past,” Lula said at the website’s launch.

The portal, which is part of the national archives, includes documents held by state governments and universities.

Dilma Rousseff, the head of Lula’s cabinet and the person tipped to succeed him, said the initiative would help end “the culture of state secrets.”

But non-governmental groups and families of the victims of the dictatorship called for the government to do more to open the archives of Armed Forces, which they say could cast light on the unknown fate of 140 people who disappeared.

“The website… is a step forward” said Jair Krikchke from the Justice and Human Rights group. “What we are really interested in are the military archives. Brazilians want to know.”

Victoria Grabois, of the No More Torture group, said it would also be necessary to open up police files to families of the disappeared.

“Brazil is the furthest behind (in opening its archives),” Grabois said. “Every other country has done more.”

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Aleks Sierz, The Guardian, May 6, 2009. Obituary.

Augusto Boal, the visionary Brazilian theatre director and dramatist, who has died aged 78, spent his life proving that you didn’t have to wait until “after the revolution” for worthwhile social improvements – you could use theatre to make radical changes in the here and now. Best known as the author of the 1974 classic Theatre of the Oppressed, which had grown out of his theatre movement of the same name, Boal was an inspirational and internationally recognised theatre guru.

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MANUEL SALAZAR SALVO

“Punto Final” (Santiago, Chile) Nº 670, 6-25 de septiembre, 2008

Una veintena de militares brasileños viajaron a Chile en los días siguientes al golpe militar del 11 de septiembre de 1973 para interrogar a los prisioneros de esa nacionalidad que estaban detenidos en el Estadio Nacional. El grupo era comandado por el teniente coronel Cyro Etchegoyen, un experto en contrainteligencia. En Santiago ya estaban operando los oficiales Walter Mesquita de Siqueira y Décio Barbosa, del Centro de Inteligencia del Ejército (CIE), y los sargentos Deoclécio Paulo y José Mileski, pertenecientes al Destacamento de Operaciones e Informaciones (DOI), de Río de Janeiro.

Estos antecedentes, hasta ahora desconocidos, son revelados por el historiador brasileño Luiz Alberto Moniz Bandeira, en su libro Fórmula para el caos. La caída de Salvador Allende (1970-1973), una cuidadosa investigación que profundiza en la intromisión del gobierno de Estados Unidos en América del Sur, como promotor de la caída de varios gobiernos democráticos, incluyendo el de la Unidad Popular.
El libro será presentado el 11 de septiembre en Sao Paulo y está prologado por el vicecanciller de Brasil, Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes; el profesor estadounidense Peter Kornbluh, director del Chile’s Projecto del National Security Archive, de la Universidad George Washington; y el embajador de Chile en Buenos Aires, Luis Maira. La edición en español ha sido preparada por la división chilena de la editorial Random House, y es prologada por el ex ministro socialista Jorge Arrate.
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O Globo (Rio de Janeiro), Nov. 5, 2008.

BRASÍLIA – O presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva comemorou a vitória de Barack Obama e disse que ela representa o reconhecimento e o significado da democracia. Lula também afirmou que espera que o novo presidente fortaleça a relação dos Estados Unidos com a América Latina e pediu o fim do embargo a Cuba. O presidente observou ainda que há uma grande diferença entre ganhar uma eleição e governar um país como os Estados Unidos.

- Quem duvidava que um negro poderia ser eleito presidente dos Estados Unidos agora sabe que pode, e, só pode, porque isso acontece em um regime democrático que permite que a sociedade se manifeste.

Lula classificou de um”feito extraordinário” a eleição do primeiro negro para a presidência dos Estados Unidos. Ele elogiou a “competência política” que Barack Obama tem demonstrado.

- Espero que ele tenha uma relação mais forte com a América Latina, com América do Sul , com o Brasil e com a África – disse Lula.

O presidente também disse estar torcendo para que o novo presidente americano consiga fechar um acordo de paz no Oriente Médio. Lula pediu que Obama pratique uma política de desenvolvimento e investimento nos países mais pobres. Mas disse que vai esperar o presidente tomar posse para ver como se darão as relações.

- Há uma diferença muito grande entre ganhar uma eleição e governar um país como os Estados Unidos. Vamos esperar ele (Obama) tomar posse para ver o que vai acontecer.

Lula fez declarações em uma entrevista coletiva após plantio de árvores no Parque Bosque dos Constituintes, em homenagem aos 20 anos da Constituição.