Corporate responsibility for human rights violations against rural populations during the civic-military dictatorship in Brazil (1964-1985): What does the case of the company Josapar teach us?

Abstract

In this article we aim to present a summary of the violations of human rights that occurred during the Brazilian civic-military dictatorship that affected rural populations, based on the work carried out by the Brazilian Peasant Truth Commission. We seek to emphasize aspects related to corporate responsibility for violations, as well as complicity between companies and repressive agencies. Specifically, we investigate the responsibility of companies belonging to the Joaquim Oliveira S. A. (Josapar) group in violating the rights of peasants in a land conflict in the Brazilian Amazon, between 1981 and 1985. This investigation forms part of the Project “The responsibility of companies for violations of rights during the dictatorship”, coordinated by CAAF/UNIFESP, a pioneering project in Brazil, although there are few studies about the responsibility of companies in the 1964 coup and throughout the dictatorship.