Public Note #28 – In support of the National Truth Commission

The Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns Commission for the Defense of Human Rights – the Arns Commission – goes public to express its opinion regarding the information published in the book “A Escolha”, elaborated from recent interviews with former president Michel Temer, in which his meetings with military authorities prior to the impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff are mentioned.

With regard to the mentions made in that book about the National Truth Commission (Comissão Nacional da Verdade – CNV, in Portuguese), the Arns Commission reaffirms that it is proud to count on, among its founders, José Carlos Dias and Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, who were members of that commission created by Law 12,528 of 2011, and approved by the National Congress, with the mission of implementing the right to memory and historical truth in our country.

In two years and seven months of work, the National Truth Commission collected 1,121 testimonies, 132 of them from public agents. It held more than 80 hearings, in addition to traveling around Brazil in order to carry out dozens of investigative and assessment procedures, revealing some of the abuses and torture committed against Brazilians.

When delivering the final report to President Dilma, on December 10, 2014, the National Truth Commission transferred to the country its legacy in the investigation of serious human rights violations, which occurred during the historic period between two Brazilian democratic constitutions – the 1946 and the 1988 ones. A legacy that also includes a list of recommendations so that the authoritarian past is not repeated and for the nation to reconcile itself around the highest ideals of justice, the Rule of Law, and democracy.

Photo: Fabrício Faria- CNV