The Russell Tribunal

As the years went on, growing international opposition to the dictatorship mounted. One example is the Russell Tribunal, which was a private tribunal founded by Bertrand Russell. The first tribunal in 1966-1967 investigated human rights violations and American foreign policy in Vietnam.

Brazilian exiles, representing twelve left- wing organizations, advocated for convening a second tribunal to try the crimes committed by the military regime since 1964. The Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation agreed and subsequently held two session investigating repression in Brazil, as well as Chile and other Latin American countries. Both sessions unequivocally reported that the military regime had committed systematic human rights violations.

Click here to read the full report from the 1973 Session of Russell Tribunal II or here to read the verdict from the 1975 Session of Russell Tribunal II.

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Accounts of Exile

With their activism and work to gain amnesty, the population of Brazilians living in exile played an important to the end of the Brazilian military regime. During their time in exile, some worked to document and circulate the experiences of Brazilian exiles, ultimately collecting 2,000 pages of written texts and interviews. This work resulted in the publication of two books, Memórias do exílio, Brasil 1964-19??: Obra Coletiva (Memories of Exile, Brazil 1964-19??: Collective Work) and Mémorias das mulheres no exílio (Memories of Women in Exile).