Ministry of Justice gives favorable opinion to reinstatement of commission on deaths during the dictatorship | Brazil

The Ministry of Justice and Public Security, headed by Minister Ricardo Lewandowski, gave a favorable opinion to the re-creation of the Special Commission on Political Deaths and Disappearances, abolished in 2022 by former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The reinstallation of the collegiate, which is defended by the Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Silvio Almeida, is stuck in the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In a letter filed the day before yesterday by substitute minister Manoel Carlos de Almeida Neto, the department ratifies the opinion prepared by former Justice Flávio Dino, who is currently a minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF). In March last year, Dino was in favor of the reestablishment of the collegiate, after Silvio Almeida forwarded a draft decree that establishes “the administrative and legal measures for the reestablishment” of the commission.

Stopped

The project to reinstall the commission is stalled at the Civil House. The head of the ministry, Rui Costa, claimed that a position from Lewandowski would be necessary to move forward with the proposal. According to the minister, the opinion given by Dino would no longer be valid.

“It is necessary to wait for the statement from the new head of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Ricardo Lewandowski) regarding agreement with the proposed content”, replied the Civil House to Estadão on March 19th.

The Ministry of Human Rights was only informed last month about the need for an opinion from Lewandowski. An employee with access to the deliberative areas of the Justice department told the reporter that the current management was not aware of the need for a new statement on the topic.

The Civil House said, this Friday (26), that it has not yet “formally received the aforementioned opinion”.

Historic

The Special Commission on Political Deaths and Disappearances was created in 1995 by former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB), with the aim of recognizing people killed or missing during the military dictatorship (1964-1985) and dealing with compensation requests from family members. The collegiate was extinguished at the end of the Bolsonaro government, when there were 15 days left for him to leave the Planalto Palace.

With Lula’s arrival as President, Silvio Almeida announced that the re-creation of the collegiate body was one of the main goals of his administration. Despite this, the proposal prepared by the Minister of Human Rights stalled and the ministers of the PT government blame each other for the non-existence of the body.

The commission causes apprehension in the PT administration, which has committed to a policy of conciliation with the Armed Forces. An example of this appeasement strategy was the order given by Lula to cancel all acts commemorating the 60th anniversary of the military coup, last month. Silvio Almeida’s department had to undo the preparations for an event that would be held at the National Museum of the Republic.