With great sadness, we have heard of Lúcio Bellentani’s death. Bellentani was a former employee of Volkswagen do Brasil and a trade unionist. We offer our deepest sympathies to his family as well as his allies in the Asocia ção Heinrich Plagge.
“Like few others, Lúcio Bellentani has fought to hold Volkswagen accountable for its role during the Brazilian dictatorship,” said ECCHR General Secretary Wolfgang Kaleck. “The Brazilian workers’ movement and we as partners in solidarity have lost a courageous and tireless fighter for justice.”
Bellentani’s death is a reminder for ECCHR to be unrelenting in the fight to legally address the role of German car companies during the Latin American dictatorships.
During the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985), Lúcio Bellentani worked for Volkswagen do Brasil, a VW subsidiary, and was active as a trade unionist. In July 1972, secret police arrested him at his workplace – in full view of the factory security guards. After his arrest, Bellentani spent eight months in detention, where he was tortured, followed by a further ca. 16 months in prison.
In September 2015, Bellentani and other trade unionists filed a complaint against VW do Brasil in São Paolo. The out-of-court negotiations with Volkswagen – in consultation with the workers – are slowly proceeding.
In November 2017, Bellentani mandated ECCHR General Secretary Wolfgang Kaleck to investigate possible legal steps in Germany against Volkswagen for Brazilian survivors of torture.
