Forensic investigation, truth and trust in the context of transitional justice in Brazil
Truth commissions are widely recognised tools used in negotiation following political repression. Their work may be underpinned by formal scientific investigation of human remains. This paper presents an analysis of the role of forensic investigations in the transition to democracy following the Bra...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Manchester University Press
2017-10-01
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| Series: | Human Remains and Violence |
| Subjects: |
| _version_ | 1818553648095952896 |
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| author | Marco Aurelio Guimarães Raffaela Arrabaça Francisco Sergio Britto Garcia Martin Evison Maria Eliana Castro Pinheiro Iara Xavier Pereira Diva Santana Julie Alvina Guss Patrício |
| author_facet | Marco Aurelio Guimarães Raffaela Arrabaça Francisco Sergio Britto Garcia Martin Evison Maria Eliana Castro Pinheiro Iara Xavier Pereira Diva Santana Julie Alvina Guss Patrício |
| author_sort | Marco Aurelio Guimarães |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Truth commissions are widely recognised tools used in negotiation following political repression. Their work may be underpinned by formal scientific investigation of human remains. This paper presents an analysis of the role of forensic investigations in the transition to democracy following the Brazilian military governments of 1964–85. It considers practices during the dictatorship and in the period following, making reference to analyses of truth commission work in jurisdictions other than Brazil, including those in which the investigation of clandestine burials has taken place. Attempts to conceal the fate of victims during the dictatorship, and the attempts of democratic governments to investigate them are described. Despite various initiatives since the end of the military government, many victims remain unidentified. In Brazil, as elsewhere, forensic investigations are susceptible to political and social influences, leading to a situation in which relatives struggle to obtain meaningful restitution and have little trust in the transitional justice process. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T09:28:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c883d9b616124ef397d1474ce947ffa7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-2240 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T09:28:34Z |
| publishDate | 2017-10-01 |
| publisher | Manchester University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Human Remains and Violence |
| spelling | doaj.art-c883d9b616124ef397d1474ce947ffa72022-12-22T00:28:57ZengManchester University PressHuman Remains and Violence2054-22402017-10-0132749710.7227/HRV.3.2.6Forensic investigation, truth and trust in the context of transitional justice in BrazilMarco Aurelio Guimarães0Raffaela Arrabaça Francisco1Sergio Britto Garcia2Martin Evison3Maria Eliana Castro Pinheiro4Iara Xavier Pereira5Diva Santana6Julie Alvina Guss Patrício7University of São Paulo – Ribeirão PretoUniversity of São Paulo – Ribeirão PretUniversity of São Paulo – Ribeirão PretoNorthumbria UniversityIndependent Group of Families of Political Dead and Disappeared from Brazilian Civil-Military DictatorshipComitê pela Verdade, Memória e Justiça do Distrito FederalIndependent Group of Families of Political Dead and Disappeared from Brazilian Civil-Military DictatorshipIndependent Group of Families of Political Dead and Disappeared from Brazilian Civil-Military DictatorshipTruth commissions are widely recognised tools used in negotiation following political repression. Their work may be underpinned by formal scientific investigation of human remains. This paper presents an analysis of the role of forensic investigations in the transition to democracy following the Brazilian military governments of 1964–85. It considers practices during the dictatorship and in the period following, making reference to analyses of truth commission work in jurisdictions other than Brazil, including those in which the investigation of clandestine burials has taken place. Attempts to conceal the fate of victims during the dictatorship, and the attempts of democratic governments to investigate them are described. Despite various initiatives since the end of the military government, many victims remain unidentified. In Brazil, as elsewhere, forensic investigations are susceptible to political and social influences, leading to a situation in which relatives struggle to obtain meaningful restitution and have little trust in the transitional justice process.truth commissiontransitional justicebrazilforensic sciencehumanitarian |
| spellingShingle | Marco Aurelio Guimarães Raffaela Arrabaça Francisco Sergio Britto Garcia Martin Evison Maria Eliana Castro Pinheiro Iara Xavier Pereira Diva Santana Julie Alvina Guss Patrício Forensic investigation, truth and trust in the context of transitional justice in Brazil Human Remains and Violence truth commission transitional justice brazil forensic science humanitarian |
| title | Forensic investigation, truth and trust in the context of transitional justice in Brazil |
| title_full | Forensic investigation, truth and trust in the context of transitional justice in Brazil |
| title_fullStr | Forensic investigation, truth and trust in the context of transitional justice in Brazil |
| title_full_unstemmed | Forensic investigation, truth and trust in the context of transitional justice in Brazil |
| title_short | Forensic investigation, truth and trust in the context of transitional justice in Brazil |
| title_sort | forensic investigation truth and trust in the context of transitional justice in brazil |
| topic | truth commission transitional justice brazil forensic science humanitarian |
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