Torture claims force Volkswagen to confront dealings with Brazilian junta
Torture claims force Volkswagen to confront dealings with Brazilian junta
The carmaker has employed a historian to examine its conduct following allegations it had allowed the torture of employees critical of the 60s regime
Agence France-Presse
Thursday 3 November 2016 21.48 EDT
Volkswagen has appointed a historian to look into the carmaker’s actions during Brazil’s military dictatorship, following allegations it had allowed the torture of employees critical of the regime.
The move comes after former employees filed a civil lawsuit in Brazil last year which claimed 12 workers were arrested and tortured in a VW factory near Sao Paulo during the 1964-1985 dictatorship, and dozens of people there were placed on a blacklist.
Volkswagen said on Thursday that it had commissioned Professor Christopher Kopper of Bielefeld University in Germany “to clarify the group’s role during the military dictatorship in Brazil”.
The announcement was overshadowed however by a spat brewing at home over the sudden departure last month of VW’s longtime chief historian Manfred Grieger, who led efforts to shed light on the group’s actions in Nazi Germany.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/nov/04/volkswagen-historian-research-torture-claims-brazils-military-dictatorship
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Historian to look into Volkswagen actions under Brazilian dictatorship
Volkswagen will have a historian look through their practices in Brazil during the South American country’s military dictatorship. The process is expected to take one year.
Date 03.11.2016
Following allegations of allowed torture during the Brazilian military dictatorship, the German automaker has hired a historian to investigate VW's actions in the South American country.
VW has faced accusations they collaborated with the military regime and drafted blacklists of employees who did not support the Brazilian government. Former employees filed a civil lawsuit in Brazil last year that claimed 12 workers were arrested and tortured in a VW factory near Sao Paulo, and dozens were placed on a blacklist.
Professor Christopher Kopper of Bielefeld University in Germany will work on the investigation "to clarify the group's role during the military dictatorship in Brazil," said Volkswagen in a statement on Thursday. Kopper will start as soon as possible and the results will be made public, according to VW.
"We want to shed light on the dark years of military dictatorship and explain the behavior of those responsible at that time in Brazil and, if applicable, Germany," said VW board member Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt.
More:
http://www.dw.com/en/historian-to-look-into-volkswagen-actions-under-brazilian-dictatorship/a-36253761
lbn:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141615604