National Truth Commission Criticizes Silence of the Armed Forces about Brazilian Dictatorship

12/12/2014 - 08h30

The coordinator of the National Truth Commission, Pedro Dallari, has demanded that the Armed Forces take a position similar to that adopted by Pope Francis in relation to pedophilia cases in the Catholic Church.

Corrections

In his opinion, the silence of the Armed Forces at the face of crimes perpetrated during the dictatorship (1964-1985) creates conditions for this practice to happen again the future.

"Pope Francis has recognized that there were cases of pedophilia and that the Catholic Church did not deal with this matter well. This is not a doctrine of the church and it should not have happened and must never happen again", he said.

He also compared: "If the Armed Forces recognize what happened and that it was not adequate and it should not come to happen again, the Brazilian society will be relieved".

In his opinion, the National Truth Commission was "frustrated" about not having heard the Ministry of Defence even after the report had been finished, which he has deemed "unacceptable".

The document was handed to president Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday, December 10th.

According to the deputy-attorney-general, Ela Wiecko, the report written by the National Truth Commission "creates legal consequences" and will be used in the analysis of new cases against military soldiers and former agents of repression under suspicion of crimes.

One of the biggest polemics about this topic is whether the Amnesty Law, approved in 1979, which benefited both repression officers and armed freedom fighters, should be reconsidered.

Translated by CRISTIANE COSTA LIMA

Read the article in the original language

	Evaristo Sa/AFP
	Dilma Rousseff receives from the Coordinator of the National Truth Commission (CNV) Pedro Dallari, the CNV final report