New evidence confirms Operation Condor existed

The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office in Rio de Janeiro (MPF/RJ) reported Monday (Nov. 24) that it found documents containing evidence of collaboration between dictatorships in South America in the 1970s and 1980s. Best known as Operation Condor, the collaboration is denied by both Brazil's Armed Forces and Ministry of Foreign Relations.

In a search operation at the home of retired dictatorship colonel who was found dead in April, a Work Group on Justice and Transition of the MPF found documents related to Operation Gringo – dictatorship intelligence efforts to track, monitor, and arrest foreign nationals that engaged in any activity which was considered a threat to the authoritarian regime. The operation was run by the Rio de Janeiro Army Intelligence Center.

A Spanish-language report on a so-called “Operation Congonhas” contained detailed information on activist and guerrilla organizations working against the dictatorship in Argentina. There were also details on Argentinian military agents infiltrating in Brazil to monitor, contact, and arrest “enemies” of their regime.

A lawyer and member of the local Truth Commission, a concerted effort to investigate human rights violations committed during the dictatorship, Nadine Borges was one of the commission members who heard Malhães's testimony. She said the retired colonel denied an “Operation Condor”, but admitted that there was an “Operation Gringo”.

“He [Malhães] told the commission he had a supervisory role in an operation to monitor all foreign nationals entering Brazil, complete with records, pictures, addresses, and aliases of all these people,” she said. According to her, the operation led by Malhães had a major role in the collapse of the efforts of Argentina's Montonera guerrilla as they hid out in neighboring South Brazil preparing a counter-attack on the Argentinian dictatorship in the late 1970s.

In a statement, Attorney-General Rodrigo Janot said the finding is an important achievement in revealing the names of agents of repression and crimes committed during the dictatorship. He said the documents are the most compelling evidence that Operation Condor did exist and had in Operation Gringo its international arm.

Also found in the search were several names of Brazilian and foreign nationals and organizations who opposed the military dictatorship.

Translated by Mayra Borges

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