The 6th edition of the Walk of Silence for Victims of State Violence took place this Sunday (Mar. 29) in São Paulo. The gathering was held in front of the former DOI-Codi/SP building, one of the main centers of repression and torture during the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964–1985), which was established after the military coup of March 31, 1964.

The demonstration moved through the streets of the southern zone toward the Monument in Honor of the Political Dead and Disappeared in Ibirapuera Park, under Military Police escort.

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Organized by the Voices of Silence Movement - an initiative of the Vladimir Herzog Institute and the Center for the Preservation of Political Memory - the event brought together hundreds of people, including relatives of victims and human rights groups.

Under the motto “learning from the past to build the future,” the organizations not only honored the memory of the victims of the military dictatorship but also denounced the continued persistence of state violence over the decades, even after the return to democracy.

Lorrane Rodrigues, coordinator of the Memory, Truth, and Justice program at the Vladimir Herzog Institute, highlighted the importance of discussing the impacts of the dictatorship even after the return to democracy. “The military dictatorship is often seen, in the collective imagination, as something static, frozen in time - as if what happened during that period were a thing of the past, and there were no need to talk about or discuss it.”

“The march’s motto raises this discussion: trying to understand the impacts of the military dictatorship on the present, on our contemporary society, so we can reflect on the future,” Rodrigues added, emphasizing the need to strengthen democracy.

“We also need to reflect on the construction of this democracy, because the way it is today is not enough; it remains inequitable for a significant portion of the population. The march seeks to connect the past and the present in a more tangible way for people,” she explained. According to her, one of the tools for advancing memory, truth, and justice is the set of recommendations from the National Truth Commission.

“There are 49 recommendations for the [Brazilian] government, and so far - from the time they were issued until now - they have been largely unfulfilled or only partially implemented. We already have a process in place: the institute monitors the recommendations every two years. What we’ve observed are small steps, some significant advances, but very little compared to what the recommendations envision for society,” she noted.

The executive director of the Vladimir Herzog Institute, Rogério Sotilli, stated in a note that the Walk of Silence was born as a collective response to authoritarianism and attempts at historical erasure. He emphasized that the military dictatorship left a legacy of impunity, which is still reflected in the state violence the country experiences today.

“After five editions, we want to recapture the spirit that gave rise to this demonstration. We have been living in times when defending the democratic rule of law has largely been left to the highest institutions, yet we continue to face serious attacks on democracy. That is why now is the time to take to the streets and once again demonstrate our strength,” Sotilli emphasized.

More than 30 civil society organizations, social movements, and human rights groups took part in the initiative.

Toward the end of the event, the organizers read the march’s manifesto, which includes the following passage:

“It has never been more important to defend democracy. And we must never forget: this struggle is ongoing.

We must remember so as not to repeat the past. We must hold on to our memories so as not to forget our history.

Without memory, violence becomes normalized. Without truth, lies become institutionalized. And without justice, barbarism repeats itself.”

Next, the names of the victims of state violence during the dictatorship were read aloud, including Vladimir Herzog, after whom the organizing institute is named. After each name, the protesters chanted in unison: “Present.”