Amnesty International wants dictatorship crimes punished
The CNV’s investigations have clearly established that there was an apparatus of repression as part of state policy that spanned several governments
Amnesty International says the final report released Wednesday (Dec. 10) by the National Truth Commission (CNV) about dictatorship crimes “marks an historic step in the country’s efforts to obtain justice for crimes against humanity and other violations during the military dictatorship.”
In a statement, the organization said that by providing compelling evidence of the widespread human rights violations committed by officials during the dictatorship (1964-1985) and recognizing them as crimes against humanity, the report “paves the way to ensure the Amnesty Law [enacted in 1979, pardoning people punished for political crimes and State officials who committed political violence in the period between September 1961 and August 1979] will not be an obstacle to investigating these crimes.”
According to the organization, Brazilian authorities must punish those responsible for human rights violations and “break the past cycle of impunity that fuels ongoing torture, extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances in the present.” Amnesty also asked the military to recognize their responsibility for the abuses that were committed in the period.
“The CNV’s investigations have clearly established that there was an apparatus of repression as part of state policy that spanned several governments and was devised at the highest levels of the armed forces and the executive branch. The commission’s decision to hold the authoritarian regime’s leadership responsible is an important milestone towards obtaining justice for this period,” Amnesty International said.
The organization went on to say that the CNV investigations should continue, especially concerning violations against indigenous peoples and rural workers.
“Brazil began its transitional justice process too late, nearly 30 years after the end of dictatorship and only after important initiatives by its neighbors in South America. The final CNV report adds to the efforts of the Special Commission on Political Killings and Disappearances, the Committee on Amnesty, and the decades of activism by torture survivors, families of victims, and human rights organizations like Amnesty International,” the statement read.
More than 300 people, including military, State officials, and even former presidents were held accountable for the actions, according to the CNV report.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Amnesty International wants dictatorship crimes punished
