Justice and compensation for persecuted university presidents – 08/04/2023 – Sou Ciência

The search for justice and reparation on behalf of Luiz Carlos Cancellier and all the heads of federal universities who were victims of persecution during the Temer and Bolsonaro governments gained even more strength with the Charter of Deans and Former Deans of Federal Universities across the country recently sent to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, claiming due attention to a dark chapter in our country’s recent history, highlighting the importance of rescuing Cancellier’s memory and demanding justice and reparation. Since the military dictatorship, university autonomy has not been as attacked as in recent years of the rise of the extreme right in politics after the parliamentary, legal and media coup against President Dilma Rousseff. Public universities were preferred targets in Brazilian neo-fascism.

The Letter, also sent to the Minister of Justice Flávio Dino and the Minister of Education Camilo Santana, reinforces the commitment of researchers and former deans to seek justice and reparation. The Letter highlights the July 2023 opinion of the Federal Court of Auditors (TCU) which found no irregularities at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) after an obscure complaint in 2017, ordering the process to be archived. However, the arbitrary measures taken by the Federal Police and the judiciary resulted in irreparable losses, including the dean’s death, causing indignation and a clamor for justice.

In March, Minister Gilmar Mendes had already indicated the suspicion of the judge in the case, Janaina Cassol, and noted that, in the magistrate’s decision, there were “excesses of language” and “categorical and imperative statements” that agreed with the thesis of the Public Ministry, which characterized an anticipation of the sentence. Gilmar pointed out that a significant part of the decision categorically assumes the existence of the “criminal organization, of various conducts already declared illicit and the criminal responsibility of several accused”, which, for him, represents a preview of the conviction. As a result, the dean was denied “the right to due investigation, provided with constitutional guarantees, based on the presumption of innocence, due legal process and full defense under the mediation of an impartial judge.”

The judge in the case is investigated for other actions involving abuse of power and disciplinary complaints. She is the offspring of the car wash and its punitive and persecutory way of proceeding. An audacity suffered from irremediable arrogance, an undeniable abuse of authority, as if the end justified all means, even the most dubious ones. As moralizers of the Republic, its protagonists followed a course marked by abuses, disregarding basic constitutional principles such as the presumption of innocence and due process of law. Lava-Jato, in the words of its creators, would be the light that would lead Brazil to probity, but under this mantle of incorruptible justice, the operation concealed countless illegalities. Media operations, selective leaks, unnecessary coercive conduct and promiscuous collaboration between judges and prosecutors painted a distorted scenario where justice seemed to be confused with spectacle. The fight against corruption is necessary, of course, but it should never serve as an alibi for legal barbarism and the trampling of individual guarantees.

Newly elected, Bolsonaro, inspired by the UFSC case, announced the Lava-Jato da Educação, including the investigation of transfers, subsidies and tax exemptions that benefited private institutions. These soon mobilized and buried the initiative. Just remember that Paulo Guedes’ sister was a leader of the National Association of Private Universities, which represents the interests of large educational monopolies. But the selective persecution, as in the original operation, was directed solely at the deans and managers of public universities, with direct or veiled threats, replacement of attorneys, audit blitzes, interference in electoral processes, etc. In this case, the car wash was combined with the ideological war against the public universities, accused of all nonsense by the olavists and pastors who occupied the chair of the MEC.

The simple “archive of the case” of the UFSC by the TCU is not enough. It is essential to determine the causes and hold those involved responsible, preventing similar episodes from occurring in the future. Cancellier’s story should serve as a wake-up call to the importance of defending the autonomy and integrity of universities and their governing bodies and internal systems of control.

Although repairs cannot bring back the lost life of Luiz Carlos Cancellier, it can be achieved through the memory and dissemination of the injustices suffered by him and by so many other university leaders. Creating monuments and memorials that present these stories to the public is critical to ensuring these tragedies are never forgotten.

We reinforce the need for investigation and accountability of those involved in all cases of persecution of deans and deans of federal institutions. Society must recognize the vital role of universities during the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrating courage and dedication in saving lives even in the face of adversities imposed by the Bolsonaro government (see the panel of university actions in defense of life produced by SoU_Ciência).

The search for justice and reparation is tireless, and the support of several researchers and former deans confirms the relevance of this movement. The memory of Luiz Carlos Cancellier and all those who suffered from the unjust persecution must be eternalized as a reminder for future generations, reinforcing the importance of defending democracy, freedom and academic integrity.

That effective actions be taken by the authorities to investigate the facts and ensure the accountability of those responsible, bringing encouragement to the victims and their families. Together, researchers and former deans, we will contribute to building a more just and respectful future for education and knowledge in our country. The search for justice is a fight for all of us, in favor of a fairer and more democratic society.

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