Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 12576 / 251,287

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04 2011/05
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16 2011/03/17 2011/03/18 2011/03/19 2011/03/20 2011/03/21 2011/03/22 2011/03/23 2011/03/24 2011/03/25 2011/03/26 2011/03/27 2011/03/28 2011/03/29 2011/03/30 2011/03/31
2011/04/01 2011/04/02 2011/04/03 2011/04/04 2011/04/05 2011/04/06 2011/04/07 2011/04/08 2011/04/09 2011/04/10 2011/04/11 2011/04/12 2011/04/13 2011/04/14 2011/04/15 2011/04/16 2011/04/17 2011/04/18 2011/04/19 2011/04/20 2011/04/21 2011/04/22 2011/04/23 2011/04/24 2011/04/25 2011/04/26 2011/04/27 2011/04/28 2011/04/29 2011/04/30
2011/05/01 2011/05/02 2011/05/03 2011/05/04 2011/05/05 2011/05/06 2011/05/07 2011/05/08 2011/05/09 2011/05/10 2011/05/11 2011/05/12 2011/05/13 2011/05/14 2011/05/15 2011/05/16

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 96 97 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1985/03 1985/05 1985/06
1986/05
1987/06
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
1991/05
1992/01 1992/06 1992/12
1993/10
1996/11
1997/12
2000/05 2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/06 2001/07 2001/09 2001/10 2001/11
2002/01 2002/02 2002/03 2002/04 2002/07 2002/08 2002/09 2002/11
2003/01 2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Apia Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Auckland Consulate Amsterdam Consulate Adana American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belmopan Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dili Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown Consulate Fukuoka
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guayaquil Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Ho Chi Minh City Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamilton Consulate Hamburg Consulate Halifax
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kingston Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lahore Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE Mission USNATO Mission UNESCO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manila Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Mumbai Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia Embassy Niamey Embassy New Delhi Embassy Ndjamena Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples Consulate Naha
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Of Spain Embassy Port Louis Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito Consulate Quebec
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Suva Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate St Petersburg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sapporo Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Toronto Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Office Almaty US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Embassy Valletta Consulate Vladivostok Consulate Vancouver
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AF AMGT ASEC AMED AEMR APER AORC AR ARF AG AS ABLD APCS AID AU APECO AFFAIRS AFIN ADANA AJ ADCO AA AECL AADP ACAO ANET AY APEC AORG ASEAN ABUD AGR AROC AO AE AM AODE AL ACABQ AGMT AX AMEX ATRN AFGHANISTAN AZ ASUP AND ARM AQ ATFN AMBASSADOR ACBAQ AFSI AFSN AGAO AC ADPM ASIG AUC ASEX AER AVERY AGRICULTURE ACOA ASCH AFU AINF AMG ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AORL ADM AN AIT AMCHAMS ALOW ACS
BR BA BK BD BU BEXP BO BM BT BRUSSELS BIDEN BTIO BE BY BB BL BG BP BC BBSR BH BX BF BWC BN BTIU BMGT BILAT
CA CASC CS CU CWC CBW CO CH CE CI CDG CVIS CG CM CICTE CMGT COUNTER CPAS COUNTRY CJAN CIDA CD CT CODEL CBE CW CDC CFED CONS CONDOLEEZZA CL COM CR CKGR CHR CVR CIA CLINTON CY COUNTERTERRORISM CITEL CLEARANCE COE CN CARICOM CB CACS CSW CIC CITT CACM CDB CF CJUS CTM CAN CLMT CBC CAC CNARC CV CROS CIS CBSA CEUDA CARSON CAPC COPUOS CTR
DR DA DK DHS DPRK DEPT DEA DJ DISENGAGEMENT DE DOMESTIC DOD DOE DTRA DS DEFENSE DO DAO DCM DEAX
EFIN ECON EAID ENRG EAIR EC ELAB ETRD EINV ETTC ECIN EPET EG EAGR EFIS EUN ECPS EU EN EIND ELTN EINT ECA EPA EWWT EMIN ENVI ENGR ETRC EXTERNAL EI ELN ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS ET EZ EK ES EINVEFIN ETRDECONWTOCS ER EUR ETC ENVR EAP ENIV ECONOMY EINN EFTA ECONOMIC EXBS ELECTIONS ECUN ENGY ECONOMICS EIAR EINDETRD ECONEFIN EURN EDU ETRDEINVTINTCS ECIP EFIM EAIDS EREL EINVETC ECONCS EUMEM ETRA ESA ECINECONCS EAIG ETRO EUREM EUC ENERG ERD EEPET EUNCH EXIM EFINECONCS ETRN ESENV ENNP EINVECONSENVCSJA ERNG
FI FR FTA FARC FJ FTAA FAC FBI FAO FAS FM FINR FREEDOM FOR FINANCE FOREIGN FOI FDA FMLN FO FISO
GV GG GM GH GOV GOI GL GT GF GR GCC GAERC GE GZ GA GAZA GY GLOBAL GTIP GERARD GANGS GTMO
HA HR HO HK HU HILLARY HI HURI HUMAN HYMPSK HSTC HEBRON HUMOR
IS IC IR IT IN IAEA IBRD ITU ILO IZ ID ICRC IPR ISRAELI IIP IMO INMARSAT IWC IV ITPGOV ITALIAN IO INTERNAL IRS ICTY IA INTERPOL IRAQI IEA INRB IL ICAO ICJ INR IMF ITALY IAHRC IZPREL IRAJ ITF IQ ILC IF ITPHUM ISRAEL IACI ICTR IEFIN INTELSAT INDO IDP IRC ITRA IBET INRA INRO IDA IGAD ISLAMISTS
JA JUS JO JOSEPH JM JP JAMES JOHN JOHNNIE
KCRM KNNP KDEM KFLO KTIP KFRD KWMN KJUS KSCA KSEP KFLU KOLY KHLS KCOR KTBT KPAL KISL KIRF KTFN KPRV KAWC KUNR KV KIPR KTIA KTDB KPAO KZ KBCT KN KPKO KSTH KSUM KIDE KS KU KWBG KPAONZ KOMC KNUC KMDR KE KNNPMNUC KSTC KWAC KERG KACT KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KSCI KGHG KHDP KVPR KICC KPRP KBIO KCIP KTLA KMPI KHIV KCSY KTRD KCFE KGIC KRVC KNAR KSPR KMRS KNPP KDRG KJUST KMCA KOCI KPWR KFIN KFSC KCMR KTER KRCM KIRC KSEO KNEI KCFC KSAF KSAC KR KG KCHG KAWK KGCC KPLS KREL KMFO KFTFN KTEX KCOM KO KLIG KDEMAF KBTR KRAD KGIT KVRP KPAI KICA KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KHUM KREC KSEC KPIN KESS KDEV KWWMN KOM KBTS KCRS KWNM KRFD KVIR KMIG KDDG KRGY KMOC KIFR KID KAID KWMNCS KPOA KPAK KRIM KHSA KENV KOMS KWMM KNSD KX KCGC KCRCM KNUP
LE LY LI LH LTTE LG LO LAB LOG LT LABOR LU LA
MARR MNUC MX MOPS MO MCAP MASS MY MZ MTCRE MIL ML MPOS MP MG MD MK MA MI MOPPS MR MTS MLS MILI MAR MU MEPN MAPP MEPI MASC MEETINGS MERCOSUR MW MAS MTCR MT MCC MIK MARAD MAPS MV MILITARY MDC MEPP MEDIA MASSMNUC MUCN MC MTRE MRCRE MQADHAFI
NZ NU NP NO NATO NI NL NS NAFTA NDP NIPP NPT NE NZUS NH NR NA NSF NG NSG NC NEW NRR NATIONAL NT NASA NAR NV NSSP NK NATOPREL NPG NSFO NSC NORAD NW NGO NPA
OTRA OVIP OPCW OPDC OREP OAS OPIC OECD OFDP OPRC OIIP OEXC ODIP OSCE OIE OSCI OTR OMIG OSAC OBSP OFDA OFFICIALS OVP OIC OHUM ON OCII OES OPAD OCS
PGOV PREL PRAM PTER PREF PARM PHUM PINR PA PE PM PK PINS PMIL PROP PALESTINIAN PBTS PARMS PHSA POL PO PROG POLITICS PBIO PL PTERE PRGOV PORG PP PS PGOF PKFK PSOE PEPR PPA PINT PMAR PRELP PREFA PINF PNG POLICY PFOR PUNE PGOVLO PAO PHUMBA PSEPC PNAT PNR POLINT PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PDEM PECON PROV PBT PAK PGOC PY PLN PGIV PHUH PF PRL PG PHUS PTBS PU POV POLITICAL PARTIES PCUL PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PINL PAS PDOV PHUMPGOV POGOV PREO PEL PHUMPREL PCI PAHO PSI PAIGH POSTS
QA
RO RU RS RP RW RICE RM RSP RF RCMP RIGHTS RIGHTSPOLMIL RUPREL RELATIONS REACTION RFE ROOD REGION REPORT RSO ROBERT
SENV SMIG SNAR SOCI SP SY SYRIA SZ SU SA SCUL SW SO SL SR SENVKGHG SF SI SEVN SARS SN SC SAN STEINBERG SG ST SIPDIS SNARIZ SNARN SSA SK SPCVIS SOFA SYR SANC SWE SHI SEN SHUM SH SPCE SNARCS SIPRS SAARC SCRS
TSPL TF TU TRGY TS TBIO TT TK TPHY TI TSPA TERRORISM TH TIP TC TNGD TW TX TO TRSY TN TURKEY TL TV TD TZ TBID TINT TP TFIN TAGS TR THPY
UK UNGA UN UNCHC UNSC UV US UY USTR UNHRC UP UG USUN UNESCO USPS UZ USEU UNCHR USAID UNMIK UNHCR UE UNVIE UAE UNO UNDP UNAUS USOAS UNODC UNCHS UNFICYP UNEP UNIDROIT UNDESCO UNC UNPUOS UNCSD UNDC UNICEF USNC UNCND
VE VT VZ VTPREL VM VTIZ VAT VN VC VI VTEG
WTO WTRO WS WI WZ WHO WBG WB WWARD WHA WITH WIPO WTRQ WEU WMO WA WHTI WFP WMD
XF XM XG XT XZ XA XY XK XL XW XV XB XU XS XR XH XD XC XX XE XQ XTAG XI
YM YI YE YMCS
ZI ZU ZR ZB ZJ ZP ZEALAND ZN ZL ZA ZK ZF ZANU ZO ZOELLICK

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 10BRASILIA86, Controversy Over New Human Rights Program Subsides, for Now

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #10BRASILIA86.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
10BRASILIA86 | 2010-01-27 14:42 | 2011-02-21 08:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Brasilia

`

    VZCZCXYZ0002
    RR RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHBR #0086/01 0271444
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    R 271442Z JAN 10
    FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0359
    INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
    RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE
    RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO
    RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO

` `

    UNCLAS BRASILIA 000086

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: PHUM PGOV ECON EAGR MCAP SOCI BR
    SUBJECT: Controversy Over New Human Rights Program Subsides, for Now

    REF: 08 BRASILIA 1120

    ¶1. Summary: President Lula was caught off guard by the surge of controversy, including within his own government, which followed the GOB's public release of the Third National Program of Human Rights in a December 21 presidential decree. The program in fact is far-reaching, calling for, among other things: establishment of a National Truth Commission to examine human rights violations committed during the period of military rule, 1964-1985; mediation between landowners and those who invade their land before the police forcibly remove the invaders; and creation of a national ranking of media according to their adherence to human rights standards, along with penalties for media that violate human rights. There are a total of 521 "programmatic actions" recommended by the government, most requiring Congressional action or action by the judiciary, public ministry or states. Even Minister of Human Rights Paulo Vannuchi, the principal proponent of the program, admitted that implementation "can take years." Meantime, however, the press reported that Minister of Defense Nelson Jobim and the commanders of the Armed Forces, claiming that the Truth Commission was "revanchist," threatened to resign. President Lula ordered Jobim and Vannuchi to iron out their differences, which they did on January 13, agreeing to change the language creating the Truth Commission but maintaining its essential powers. End summary.

    Culmination of a 7-year process

    ¶2. Since President Lula decreed the Third National Program of Human Rights on December 21, controversy has swelled in the media, in the military and amongst his own ministers. The plan consists of a total of 521 "programmatic actions" recommended by the federal government but often requiring action on the part of Congress (e.g., passing a law) or the judiciary, public ministry (prosecutors) or states before they can be implemented. It is the third such program, the first two having been devised and adopted by the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso in 1996 and 2002, each program superseding the last.

    ¶3. Perly Cipriano, National Under Secretary for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, told poloff on January 15 that the plan was the culmination of a process begun in 2003. It involved over 50 national-level thematic conferences (on subjects like racial equality, women's rights, food security, etc.) and 137 municipal and regional meetings in which a total of 14,000 people participated. The program that Lula finally decreed was derived from a number of resolutions passed by participants of the Eleventh National Conference of Human Rights in December 2008. During the last year, Cipriano and his colleagues in the Special Secretariat of Human Rights, under the direction of Minister Paulo Vanucchi, reorganized the resolutions and used them to craft the Third National Program of Human Rights. The program not only specifies actions to be taken, but names those organs of government that are responsible.

    Truth Commission controversy

    ¶4. According to Cipriano, 30 ministries have committed to working to fulfill the terms of the program. Significantly, however, it appears that the Ministry of Defense did not participate actively in the elaboration of the plan and, unlike most ministers, Minister of Defense Jobim did not put his signature on the presidential decree. In the weeks following issuance of the decree, Jobim was the highest profile and most powerful of the program's critics, reportedly threatening to resign along with the three commanders of the Armed Forces if the provision to establish a National

    Truth Commission was not changed.

    ¶5. The Truth Commission, according to the terms of the December 21 decree, would "promote the verification and public explanation of human rights violations committed in the context of political repression" by the military regime of 1964-1985. The measure called for a bill creating the commission to be submitted to Congress by April 2010. Vannuchi has noted that truth commissions have worked well in Latin American countries like Chile and Argentina and outside Latin America in South Africa. He wrote in an op-ed piece in the December 21 "Correio Braziliense" that the commission would undertake "historical, political, ethical and - if the judicial power so decides - also criminal proceedings with respect to all episodes of torture, assassination and disappearances of political dissidents." He added that the purpose was "not to open wounds of the past, but to guarantee necessary healing in the spirit of reconciliation."

    ¶6. Particularly troubling to the military and Defense Minister Jobim was the suggestion of criminal prosecutions of the military and members of the 1964-1985 military regime, which they call "revanchist." To them the measure effectively overturned the 1979 Amnesty Law, which provides broad protections against prosecution for crimes committed during the military era, whether by the military or by left-wing guerrilla groups. They also pointed out that the measure in the Human Rights Program was one-sided, in that it called for investigation only of abuses committed by the regime, and not those committed by their left-wing enemies (some of whom are in government today).

    ¶7. The controversy was fully aired in the press with Vannuchi reportedly threatening to quit the government if the Truth Commission were dropped from the Human Rights Program. President Lula ordered Vannuchi and Jobim to work out their differences. In a meeting on January 13, lasting only 50 minutes, Vannuchi and Jobim arrived at a compromise: the words "promote the verification and public explanation of human rights violations" were changed to "examine human rights violations" and the words, "in the context of political repression" were deleted; the essential powers of the Truth Commission and the timeline for submitting a bill to Congress remain unchanged. While Jobim has expressed satisfaction with the compromise, the military leadership has not. As noted in reftel, any change to the Amnesty Law provisions will meet with strong military opposition.

    Boost to the Landless Movement

    ¶8. Also dividing the government, though not nearly as severely as the Truth Commission, was a measure in the Human Rights Program that requires mediation between landowners and those who invade their land before the police forcibly remove the invaders. Such mediation would take place in the presence of the public ministry (prosecutors), local officials, "specialized governmental organs," and the Military (that is, uniformed) Police.

    ¶9. Opposition Senator Katia Abreu, who is also president of the National Confederation of Agriculture, told the press that the measure, by complicating and delaying evictions, will encourage and strengthen organizations like the Landless Movement which seize farmland illegally. Appearing to echo Abreu's sentiments, Minister of Agriculture Reinhold Stephanes said that the measure will "increase insecurity in the countryside." Stephanes was then publicly contradicted by Minister of Agrarian Development Guilherme Cassel who noted that Stephanes, along with all other ministers, had four months to ponder the draft Human Rights Program and raise any objections they might have had. Cassel said that mediation, "especially for rural questions, is correct because it leads to negotiated solutions." Media to be monitored by government

    ¶10. The Human Rights Program calls for creation of "a national ranking of vehicles of communication that promote human rights principles, as well as those that commit violations." Radio and television broadcasters would be subject to "administrative penalties such as warning, fine, suspension of programming and cancellation, in accordance with the seriousness of the violations committed." Presumably, the media will be measured against "a national system of human rights indicators," which is called for in a section of the plan on "mechanisms of social control."

    ¶11. The Brazilian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters, National Association of Magazine Editors and National Association of Newspapers issued a joint note to the press on January 8 calling the GOB's proposal "a threat to freedom of expression." They said that "mechanisms for control of information" are "flagrantly unconstitutional." Brazil's newspaper of record, "O Estado de S. Paulo," went even further in a January 19 editorial, seeing the plan in the context of a broader effort on the part of the Lula Government "to liquidate the rule of law and install in Brazil an authoritarian regime."

    Abortion, civil unions, religious symbols

    ¶12. Other controversial proposals in the Human Rights Program are to decriminalize abortion, support civil unions of same-sex couples and ban the display of religious symbols on all federal government buildings - all actions opposed the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops of the Catholic Church. Lula has indicated that he may backtrack on the decriminalization of abortion issue but has not publicly commented on civil unions or religious symbols on public buildings.

    Comment

    ¶13. The Human Rights Program is a statement of government policy and a plan of action; by itself it changes nothing. Cipriano, a former member of the Brazilian Communist Party and a political prisoner from 1970 to 1979, called the plan "an orientation." The GOB must now begin the long and arduous task of persuading allies and, if possible, some opponents of the wisdom of such an orientation. Even in the estimation of Vannuchi, the plan's main proponent, implementation "can take years." Because the plan is vast, divisible and controversial, and was announced in the last year of the Lula government, much of it may never be implemented. Nonetheless, the plan has already exposed several unresolved fissures in Brazilian society: between the military and civilians with regard to abuses that occurred during the military regime, between landholders and a still potentially troublesome landless movement, between those who champion freedom of the press and those who see the media as often irresponsible in the exercise of that freedom, and between Brazil's traditional conservative morals and its principled support for tolerance and human rights. Whether or not the plan is taken up by the new Brazilian government that takes office January 1, 2011, these fissures are are unlikely to end with significant disruptions in Brazilian society or politics, but will remain a source of friction, and occasional headlines, for years to come.

    KUBISKE

`