Never forget, never repeat: Top court shares message on 1964 coup
Brazil’s Supreme Court published on its official social media on Monday (Mar. 31) a message alluding to the 1964 military coup, which should be remembered “so that it is never repeated,” the text reads.
The military coup of 1964, staged 61 years ago this Monday, marked the beginning of a 21-year dictatorship led by generals in Brazil, during which direct elections were suspended and freedom of expression and political opposition were restricted.
“Sixty-one years ago, fundamental rights were jeopardized in Brazil. It was the beginning of the military dictatorship, which lasted 21 years. Democracy returned with the people’s participation and a Constituent Assembly, which drew up the Federal Constitution of 1988, re-establishing guarantees, the right to vote, and the separation of branches—guidelines to govern the democratic rule of law,” the publication states.
The post, published on Instagram, X, and Facebook, concludes by stating the importance of talking about the date: “Remember so that it is never repeated. Today and always, celebrate democracy and the Citizen Constitution.” The publication also celebrates democracy, dubbing it as “always the best path.”
Last year, the Supreme Court itself ruled it was unconstitutional to use public money to commemorate the 1964 military coup. The prevailing view was that the democratic system established by the 1988 Constitution must not tolerate efforts to “legitimize the military regime,” as Justice Gilmar Mendes wrote at the time.
The message published by the Supreme Court coincides with the opening of the first criminal case since the end of the dictatorship which aims to put a former president—Jair Bolsonaro, along with seven allies—in the dock, charged by the country’s prosecutor-general with attempted coup d’état. The plan is said to have been put into practice from 2021 to 2023.
Amnesty Law
Last month, the Supreme Court also unanimously decided it will review its understanding of the Amnesty Law, sanctioned in 1979 by General João Baptista Figueiredo, the last dictator of the military regime.
The justices of the court will discuss whether the broad and unrestricted amnesty, as determined by the law, applies to cases of crimes like kidnapping and the concealment of a corpse.
The discussion on the Amnesty Law was reopened as part of the appeals dealing with the Araguaia Guerrilla, the largest armed movement of rural resistance to the military regime, which also concern representative Rubens Paiva, who was kidnapped and killed by agents of the dictatorship.
