The criminal case filed on April 24, 2012, against a retired army colonel and a civil police precinct chief for grave abuses committed in the 1970s in São Paulo state is an important step for accountability in Brazil, Human Rights Watch said today.
The case is the second in Brazil – and first in São Paulo – in which criminal charges have been brought against a Brazilian official for human rights crimes committed during the country’s military dictatorship, from 1964 to 1985. At least 475 people were killed or forcibly disappeared during that era, and thousands more were illegally detained or tortured.
“This is the second time in as many months that Brazilian prosecutors have filed charges for atrocities committed during the years of military rule,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “This could be the beginning of a new era for accountability in Brazil, though it will ultimately be up to the courts to determine whether the country is finally ready to pursue justice for these terrible crimes.”
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