Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Network of information and
counter information on the
military regime in Brazil
(1964–1985)
Inscribed 2011
What is it
Police, military and state documents from Brazil’s
dictatorship.
Why was it inscribed
The importance of these collections is in their insight
into the espionage methods of the military regime and
its police, and their value for victims of repression. These
methods were part of Plan Condor, which resulted in
human rights abuses in Latin America.
Where is it
Several public archival institutions in Brazil
On 31 March 1964, the President of Brazil, João Goulart,
was deposed in a coup d’état that ended democratic rule
in the country for 20 years. On 9 April, the new military
regime introduced the first act in a new series of legislative
measures that restricted political rights. Despite initial
pledges to the contrary, the military government
would soon enact a new, restrictive constitution, and
stifle freedom of speech and political opposition. The
regime went on to censor all media, and torture and
banish dissidents.
Over 6000 people were convicted by institutional acts or
were sued based on the Law of National Security. About
50,000 underwent police interrogation while some 30,000
were tortured and hundreds died as a consequence; many
people are still reported missing. Thousands of citizens
were also denounced, charged and convicted by the
Military Justice.
The archives produced over this period include
documents on military police investigations and
diligences, cancellation of rights, control of individuals,
associations and organizations considered suspicious,
military agreements and the Law of National Security.
The gradual process of political liberation is also recorded,
revealing the role of the resistance to the dictatorship, and
the efforts to build and consolidate democracy.
� João Goulart giving a speech
at Central do Brasil on
13 March 1964.
� Soldiers guarding the
Guanabara Palace during
the 1964 Brazilian coup
d’état on 31 March 1964.
This unique set of seventeen archives builds a striking
picture of Latin American regimes in the second half of the
20th century. It covers records produced by the network
of information and counter information on the military
regime in Brazil and is linked to other Latin American
countries that endured similar regimes, such as Argentina,
Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay (see pages 498 and 543).
It is an indispensable source of knowledge of military
government policies and actions.
The archives have been published online, a project
that combines state and society efforts to preserve and
recover the memory of that period and to encourage social
reflection about citizenship, democracy and human rights.
Now accessible to anyone, the holdings are an important
testimony to world history, not only because in South
America military governments worked closely together,
but also because these military governments and those in
other parts of the world were established and sustained
thanks to the collaboration and permission of several
developed nations on the pretext of averting communism.
For Brazil, the availability of these archives online
represents a cornerstone in the democratization of the
access to information and is an invaluable tool for building
citizenship and a fairer and equitable society in line with
the motto: ‘lest it be forgotten, lest it happen again’.
Network of information and counter information on the military regime in Brazil (1964–1985) 527