By Isabela Fraga
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), a branch of the Organization of American States, decided to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Brazilian journalist Vladimir Herzog in 1975, during the military dictatorship, reported the newspaper O Estado de São Paulo. Civil society organizations filed the request in 2009 and it was accepted by the IAHRC in November 2012. Herzog's family members announced the decision on Tuesday, Jan. 22.
IACHR Press and Outreach Director María Isabel Rivero told Reuters if the commission determines there were human rights violations in the case of Herzog's death, including the participation of the Brazilian State, it will make recommendations to the government. If the State does not comply with the commission's directions, the case could be appealed to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
In March 2012, the IACHR denounced Brazil at the OAS for not taking up the investigation. The Brazilian government responded to the accusation, defending its decision not to pursue the case because of the Amnesty Law, which protects State employees accused of human rights violations during the military dictatorship. The document, however, is classified.
In a press release, the Secretary for Human Rights of the Presidency of the Republic said that the Brazilian government would respect the IACHR's decision to investigate the case and noted that the National Truth Commission was established in Brazil for the express purpose of fortifying democracy and solving the cases of forced disappearances during the military dictatorship, reported G1.
Herzog was killed in army custody in 1975, in São Paulo, after state security agents tortured him. The Brazilian government took responsibility for the journalist's death, which was presented at the time as a suicide, according to the newspaper Estado de Minas.
Thanks to the creation of the Brazilian Truth Commission, violence committed against journalists during the dictatorship will receive greater scrutiny this year. The National Federation of Journalists established the Memory, Truth and Justice Commission with the goal of investigating cases of censorship, disappearances and torture of journalists during the dictatorship with the help of student groups.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
