The Unsettling and Unsettled Monument against Torture in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This article examines the history of the Torture Never Again monument, which was proposed by Grupo Tortura Nunca Mais (Torture Never Again Group) and designed by Oscar Niemeyer for the city of Rio de Janeiro in the months following the transition from military to civilian government in Brazil in 1985. The prospect of the installation of the monument, although intended to denounce the human rights violations committed by the military government, evoked unexpected challenges and criticisms. Nonetheless, it was approved for installation and a foundation was put in place. Yet, the monument has yet to be erected. As a case study, this article shows the ways in which memorial projects must answer to multiple and often conflicting demands. It argues that the formidable opposition was not directed toward a project to memorialize the victims of torture, but rather toward the specific project proposed. Discussed primarily in terms of propriety and taste, the critiques effectively directed debates about the monument away from a denunciation of the military regime and toward other concerns

Denunciation · Environmental ethics · Government (linguistics · Human rights · Military government · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Torture · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Law · Philosophy · Torture, Ethics, and Law