ICTJ, the Amnesty Commission of Brazil, and the Catholic University of Brasilia are jointly hosting an international conference on transitional justice in Brasilia, July 7–8, just as debate on a national truth commission is heating up there. Event details
Why Transitional Justice? Why Now?
Although Brazil’s dictatorship ended years ago, focus on transitional justice there is peaking now, as debate stirs over how to best address its past.
Recent developments—including the Brazilian government’s proposal of a truth commission, the opening of national archives, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ decision limiting the 1979 amnesty law—are at the core of the discussion.
Moreover, Latin America’s significance to the field of transitional justice, with previous groundbreaking initiatives throughout the region, enhances the focus on Brazil’s next steps.
Listen to the Podcast
To learn more about the role accountability for the past can play in Brazil today, we spoke to Eduardo Gonzalez, director of ICTJ’s Truth and Memory Program.
“All crimes are significant because of the rights they affect, and not of the number of people they affect. Therefore, torture, disappearances, executions, rape are significant because of the inherent offense to human dignity that they entail, more than the number of times they were repeated.”
Part 1 : Eduardo discusses the importance of Brazil and Latin America in developing viable initiatives to redress mass human rights abuses, such as torture, disappearance, and executions.
[Download](/sites/default/files/Gonzalez_ICTJ_Podcast_06252011_Part_I.mp3) | Duration: 2mins | File size: 1.4MBPart 2 : Eduardo discusses how scale affects the gravity of human rights abuses.
[Download](/sites/default/files/Gonzalez_ICTJ_Podcast_06252011_Part_II.mp3) | Duration: 2mins | File size: 1.1MBPart 3: Eduardo gives a preview of topics that may be discussed during the conference, including the truth commission bill in Brazil and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights limiting Brazil’s amnesty law.
[Download](/sites/default/files/Gonzalez_ICTJ_Podcast_06252011_Part_III.mp3) | Duration: 2mins | File size: 1.2MBAttend the conference virtually!
If you are unable to join the conference in Brasilia, follow it online. Visit the conference blog for background on the conference and for live updates during the conference. You can also follow the conference on Twitter at @tjbrasilia or with the hashtag #tjbrasilia.
Conference updates will also be posted to ICTJ's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/theICTJ.
Photo: Marching for freedom of expression and freedom of movement at the height of military rule. Courtesy of the Brazilian Amnesty Commission Archive.
