The MPF (Federal Public Ministry) opened an investigation into the alleged collaboration of two steel mills in Minas Gerais with the military dictatorship. The prosecution is still investigating whether there was support from the two companies for the implementation of the 1964 military coup, which gave rise to the regime, which ended in 1985.
The steel companies are Belgo-Mineira, which established itself in the state in 1921, and Mannesmann, which began operations in Minas Gerais in 1954. The companies’ operations in the state today belong to ArcelorMittal and Vallourec, respectively.
The MPF investigations are based on a report from the Truth Commission in Minas Gerais. The commission, formed by jurists, professors and representatives of civil society, was created to investigate repression, deaths, torture and disappearances of political militants during the dictatorship in Brazil.
According to the MPF, the two companies can be sentenced to civil reparations. Also according to the Minas Gerais attorney’s office, the jurisprudence in Brazil is pacified in relation to the absence of prescription for facts that occurred during a state of exception.
One of the points that the prosecution focused on in the Truth Commission’s report is the one referring to the “Reunion of the Acaiaca Building”, a commercial office building in downtown Belo Horizonte, where businessmen met in January 1964, less than three months before the coup, to articulate the overthrow of the then President of the Republic, João Goulart.
According to the Truth Commission, representatives of Mannesmann and Belgo attended the meeting. The meeting was organized by IPES (Institute for Research and Social Studies), founded by businessmen in 1961.
The institute established itself as one of the main articulators of Jango’s fall. According to the Truth Commission’s report, the meeting was to discuss funding and articulation for the removal of the president from power.
Another point of the Truth Commission investigations included in the MPF investigations in Minas Gerais was the dismissal of 74 workers at the Belgo-Mineira plant in João Monlevade, central region of the state.
The officials were accused of being “agitators,” according to the report. The dismissals took place shortly after the coup, which took place on March 31, 1964.
“The system of collaboration and exchange of information between businessmen and the dictatorial military regime in Minas was intense, especially where more numerous and organized categories were employed”, says the report.
“This was the case, for example, of the steel companies Belgo Mineira and Mannesmann, which politically and financially supported the conspiracy that resulted in the 1964 coup, and collaborated with the political repression that collapsed on the workers”, the document continues.
The Truth Commission report states, in relation to Mannesmann, that company employees were even arrested by the police inside the steel plant itself, after being classified as “agitators”.
Mannesmann’s plant in Belo Horizonte was built in the Barreiro region, in the far west of the city, and is one of those responsible for transforming the region into an area with a strong presence of the working class.
The factory’s entrances are traditionally frequented by politicians, especially those on the left, who distribute holy cards during their campaigns during election periods.
The investigations in the MPF were opened by the prosecutor Angelo Giardini. The prosecutor’s representative stated, through the agency’s advice, that the investigations are at an early stage.
Companies claim to respect human rights
ArcelorMittal says in a statement that it is open to supporting the authorities in the investigation process, and that it reinforces “its unconditional respect for human rights”.
The company also says that it became aware last week of the opening of an investigation by the Federal Public Ministry regarding possible events that took place in the 1960s in the former Belgo-Mineira, and emphasizes that the period predates the acquisition of the company by the ArcelorMittal Group. The company claims that it has not yet been notified by the authorities. In the positioning, the company also says that it does not know the nature of the demand. Belgo-Mineira ceased to exist after the purchase of ArcelorMittal.
In turn, Vallourec, which is French, declares, also in a note, to reiterate its commitment to transparency, with respect for people and informs that it was not notified by the Federal Public Ministry, and is not aware of the content of the process.
The company states that it is important to point out that the group started to operate in Brazil in 1997, “more than three decades after the denounced facts, having had no relationship with the Mannesmann company since 2005”.
The report sent an email to the press contact address on the Mannesmann website in Germany. The message was sent on Tuesday (31) at 6:30 pm Brazilian time, 11:30 pm in Germany. There was no response until 1 pm this Wednesday (1st), 6 pm in Germany. The company has no more units in Brazil.
Source of investigations
The Truth Commission report was completed in 2014, but continues to serve as a basis for opening investigative procedures.
In 2020, Volkswagen signed an agreement committing to allocate BRL 36.3 million to former employees arrested, tortured or persecuted during the dictatorship. It was also agreed that part of the resources would go to initiatives to promote human rights.
Based on a report from the Truth Commission, investigations indicated that the German automaker passed on information about employees to dictatorship agents, as was the case with Mannesmann and Belgo workers.
Last Monday (30) the MPT (Ministry of Labor) confirmed that it is investigating Volkswagen’s responsibility in the case of alleged slave labor on a company farm in Pará in the 70s and 80s.
Confirmation of the investigation came after publication on Sunday (29) by the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung and public broadcaster NDR, both from Germany, revealing that the automaker is being investigated in Brazil for alleged human rights violations on a farm during the dictatorship.
The company said also on Sunday that it takes the investigation seriously and would not give further details because of legal proceedings.
Volkswagen says it “reinforces its commitment to contribute to investigations involving human rights in a very serious way. The company will not comment on the matter until it has clarity on all the allegations”, according to a response provided on Monday (30).
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