Until today, Brazil’s military dictatorship, has not been reconditioned truly. After all, President Bolsonaros arrangement for a memorial service for the military coup has led to the fact that you are talking now about the dark time.
Typically the President of Jair Messias Bolsonaro is talking about the military dictatorship. It was the time of his youth; with 15, seven years after the military coup of 1964, he took part himself in the hunt on the fleeing Communists. He led soldiers in search of the Ex-military officer and Communist Carlos Lamarca by the local forests.
Last Monday, however, he sent his press Secretary. The explained that the army the 31. March celebration should be contractually committing. For many military officials, including Ex-paratroopers Bolsonaro, saved the coup on that day in 1964, Brazil in front of a Communist dictatorship.
Like many Brazilians think the same way as the President, is uncertain. However, in the media a storm of indignation followed Bolsonaros Celebration-Order. On days you are reminded of the atrocities committed by the military. Because especially among the Intellectuals of Brazil, it is almost undisputed that, on December 31. March, 1964 with the removal of the democratically elected President João the Constitution Goulart was broken.
Judgment against judgment
Not had Bolsonaro expected such violent reactions? On Thursday, he rowed back, anyway. He had even arranged no Celebration, but merely a commemoration, the President. Nevertheless, a judge said on Friday the ceremonies, in which, in the barracks, a Text recited should be that of concealing the atrocities of the dictatorship, the military is celebrating as the Savior of the Nation.
“Murderous dictatorship”: protests in 1968
Early Saturday, an appeals court quashed the judgment. The ceremonies were to take place. Amazing invaded way on Sunday hardly any pictures from the barracks to the Public. Instead, certain demonstrations against the dictatorship of the image.
Violent Protests
In São Paulo, about 8,000 mostly black-clad protesters took to the streets in Belo Horizonte 5000 and in Rio de Janeiro in 2000. “Never again to dictatorship” on their banners. The were attended counter-demonstrations in which citizens with the yellow-green land crossed flag through the streets and singing the national anthem, however, sparse. In social media, both sides abuse orgies delivered, as they were already in the election campaign of last year is usual. Brazil is more deeply divided.
“This whole Episode shows that there is a lack of a real confrontation with the totalitarian past,” says the dictatorship of the processes specialized Federal Prosecutor Marlon Weichert, compared to the DW. He considers the ceremony to be unconstitutional, because you are trivializing crimes against human rights. “The fact alone of holding a non-critical memory, which conceals a violation of the Constitution, is nothing more than a euphemism.”
No Dealing With The Past
So far, a punishment of the perpetrators on the basis of the 1979-enacted Amnesty law is not possible. Neither the military, the opposition tortured and killed, guerrillas, soldiers killed, were punished. “This country has worked up to this time never really legally. We have neither justice apply to victims even with an appropriate symbolism compensated,” says Weichert. “And the state has practiced, is neither a self-criticism of themselves changed – not only the military, but the state as a whole.”
Ex-military visits military: Jair Bolsonaro on the day of his inauguration as commander-in-chief (1. January 2019)
He was surprised that Bolsonaro ordered directly at the beginning of his term of office, the ceremony, says the former guerrilla fighter Maurice Politi, compared to the DW. Politi, who was imprisoned in the 70s for four years and was tortured, but he also sees a positive effect of the controversial arrangement Bolsonaros.
“Instead of 300 people, how in the last few years, were present on Saturday at the rally in front of the police building in São Paulo, twice as many.” In the premises of the military opposition were tortured and killed. Today, the site is a memorial with a high proportion of young visitors, emphasizes the political.
A particular case in Latin America
Brazil behind here in the past. In Argentina, long ago, the generals were condemned. “No other Latin American country celebrates the day of the coup, only Brazil,” says Politi. Blame the long Silence after the end of the dictatorship in 1985. Only in 2007, the discussion on the validity of the Amnesty law ended the Silence.
“For over 20 years, the subject remained under the carpet. Virtually an entire Generation grew up without knowing what was happening.” From 2012 to 2014, President Dilma Rousseff appointed truth Commission’s data was about the dictatorship. They scored 434 Murdered and thousands Tortured, including Rousseff herself.
The absent President: Jair Bolsonaro on a state visit in Israel
The Commission’s recommendations, including a Revision of the curriculum in schools and the establishment of a “transitional justice”, with symbolic penalties, were, however, never been implemented, Weichert. “Brazil is not over comes to do this. Otherwise we will experience again and again, such episodes as these.”
Ominous Video
Bolsonaro even took part to the ceremonies. He is on a state visit in Israel. His son, Eduardo, published on Sunday evening a Video on Twitter in which an elderly narrator of the fear of a Communist takeover in 1964, reported. “The military has saved us,” the message of the video, the little has been published later on the official press channels to the presidential Palace. On the demand side, those who stand behind the publication, refused to do the government any comment. Still much remains in the dark.