Brazil's Truth Comission has a bitter start

[ocpagu]

Psychologist Vera Paiva, daughter of leftist militant Rubens Paiva, "disappeared" since 1971, was forbidden to testify in the Truth Comission inauguration session. The recently established Truth Comission will have the power to summon witnesses under oath. The board will have subpoena power, can demand any document it wants from the government. But it won't "result in prosecutions as long as the country's 1979 amnesty law remains intact". If they're starting by prohibiting witness of talking, I'm beginning to think that it won't have any purpose at all. Hope I'm wrong.

Source (in Portuguese):
http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/1010117-filha-de-desaparecido-e-impedida-de-falar-na-comissao-da-verdade.shtml

[ocpagu]

1. BTW

A book in Brazil has recently published a photo of current president Dilma Rousseff



The picture, taken in 1970, shows Dilma being interrogated by military officials, after spending 22 days being continuously tortured. Notice the officials covering their faces in the picture.

[Judi Lynn]

2. The fact those monsters are concealing their faces says it all, doesn't it?

My God.

Horrendous.

Well, I can say that Dilma Rousseff was striking when she rebeled against the fascists. She was so young to have endured what they did to her as they applied the torture.

By the way, ocpagu, thank you for informing us about the investigation ahead. Sure hope they go far enough to start revealing some of that repressed history. They need to cleanse that ferocious wound so the country can heal properly.

Thank you for the photo, I'm saving it for my files. It's important, and it's deeply revealing.

[Peace Patriot]

3. Thanks for the photo! I'd never seen one of Dilma Rousseff when she was young.

Look at that face! My, my! Such amazing strength and determination! Now she's president of Brazil and leader of the only region in the world that isn't being looted by the Bushwhack-instigated Depression!

They're all meeting in Caracas, Venezuela, this week--all the leftist leaders who have pushed for Latin American independence and social justice, along with the few stragglers (such as Colombia and Mexico) still tied by bloody umbilical cords to the U.S. We can just imagine the brilliant diplomacy that has taken place, to draw ALL of Latin America together in this new organization. And Dilma Rousseff is there, heading the Brazilian delegation. She was not defeated by the torture they subjected her to, with U.S. complicity. What a woman! I can't imagine a worthier successor to Lula da Silva whose alliance with Hugo Chavez was so critically important to so many history-shattering developments, such as the formation of CELAC.

[Peace Patriot]

4. As for Brazil's truth commission--I imagine that it will proceed in fits and starts like this...

The same thing has happened in other countries who have faced up to the fascist, U.S.-supported horrors in their history. It is not easy. It is not speedy. It takes constant, steady work by the survivors of fascist violence and by all who seek the truth. I wouldn't write it off because of this or other mistakes.