Brazil's Human Rights Plan Angers Military
Leaders
BRASILIA - A plan of President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva's government to investigate
human rights abuses during the military
dictatorship (1964-1985) has angered
Brazil's military leaders, Brazilian
newspapers reported Wednesday.
The military's reaction is related to the
National Human Rights Plan III, filed on
Dec. 21, which foresees a Truth Commission
to investigate torture and disappearances
during the de facto government.
"Military leadership threatens to leave in
reaction to plan for dictatorship," the
front page of Folha de Sao Paulo announced.
The paper reported that officers from the
three military arms told Defense Minister
Nelson Jobim they regarded the project as
"excessively insulting, aggressive and
vengeful."
According to the newspaper, Lula has
postponed to resolve the matter after the
summer recess.
O Globo, a newspaper from Rio de Janeiro,
carried the headline "Military crisis forces
Lula to reconsider decree." The paper
explained that the military said they were
angry with a part of the program which
includes measures that could lead to the
conviction of officers from the military
period.
The newspaper said the president did not
accept resignation requests from military
members, as he did not know the whole
content of the plan. However, he promised to
review the decree that had created
discomfort.
O Estado de Sao Paulo, which made Minister
Jobim's resignation threat front-page news,
said that after three days of tension, Lula
and the minister reached a political
agreement.
The compromise would imply that the text
program will not be rewritten, but the
proposals to be submitted to Congress will
not affront the Armed Forces. If necessary,
the government agency will make a move to
prevent texts of vengeful character.
The Truth Commission announced last week by
the government intends to promote the
historical reconstruction of cases of human
rights violation. Among other tasks, it will
also ensure assistance to victims and locate
and identify the remains of political
casualties.
The package of measures proposed by the
government also includes the abrogation of
laws inherited from the military period
"that are contrary to the guarantee of human
rights or have given support to several
serious violations.”
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