ICTJ, the Amnesty Commission of Brazil, and the Catholic University of Brasilia jointly hosted an international conference on transitional justice in Brasilia, July 7–8. The conference brought prominent regional and international actors together to offer a picture of current practices in transitional justice in Latin America and contribute to current public debate in Brazil on how best to address human rights violations committed during the 1964–1985 dictatorship.
Conference Conclusion: A Call to Action
Eduardo Gonzalez, director of ICTJ’s Truth and Memory Program, closed the conference discussions by acknowledging that every state’s experience with transitional justice is unique; there is no one method that can be universally applied. It is nevertheless crucial to engage in a comparative analysis of the lessons learned and experiences of other countries in transition.
"While this conference has focused on sharing the comparative experiences throughout Latin America, this has not been an academic exercise but a call to action", Gonzalez said. The experts who spoke in the past two days are activists who have lived through and experienced the fight against dictatorship, abuses and impunity. He urged Brazilian authorities to learn from the experiences of other countries and called on Brazilian activists to continue the fight for truth, accountability, reparations, and justice.
Read more on the conference blog
Related Articles:
- Brazil: The Right Moment for Transitional Justice - Podcast with Eduardo Gonzalez, director of ICTJ’s Truth and Memory Program, on the role accountability for the past can play in Brazil today.
- Brazil's Hour of Truth and Justice - Brazil’s new government is showing strong support for the quick passage of a bill establishing a National Truth Commission.
- Brazil's Right to Know: Interview with Marlon Weichert - ICTJ spoke with Marlon Weichert, prominent human rights advocate and regional prosecutor with the Federal Public Ministry of Brazil, on the pending truth commission bill.
