DOI-CODI

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The Destacamento de Operações de Informações - Centro de Operações de Defesa Interna (English: Department of Operations of Information - Center for Internal Defense Operations) was the Brazilian intelligence and represion agency during the military period called "Anos de Chumbo". This period started in March 31, 1964 with the "takeover" of the government by militar forces and ended in the 1980's when it was elected again a civil president. DOI-CODI was responsible for repressing what was then called "the enemy within". It acted as a political police which used torture and other means against "the enemy within" and "communists". Several political activists, intellectuals, artists, university students and journalists, mostly accused of being communists, were "suppressed" by the DOI-CODI throughout it's existence in a so called Brazilian dirt war against the clandestine forces and guerrilla groups. Many of them were tortured and often summarily executed in attempts to get more information about "potential threats".

The first DOI unit started in Sao Paulo as a private organization called "OBAN - Bandeirant Operation" (Operação Bandeirante - OBAN; OBAN was a illegal organization created using members of the federal police, civil state polices, militar state polices and "selected" members of the armed forces. It was financed by multinational corporarations with business an interests in Brazil.

Each state had a DOI Unit subordinated to CODI, which had the role of centralizing the operations. The DOI units were formed by members of the Federal Police, State Civil Polices, State Militar Polices and "selected" members of the three armed forces (Army, Navy and Air Force).

The story of the DOI-CODI started in 1969, when it was founded with the objective of coordenate and integrate initiatives of paramilitares forces to combat the treat of clandestine "left wing armed organizations".

[edit] See also

ABIN (Agência Brasileira de Inteligência) [Brazilian Intelligence Agency]
SNI (Serviço Nacional de Informações) [National Information Service]
DOPS (Departamento de Ordem Politica e Social)[Department of Social and Politic Order]
Araguaya guerrilla (Guerrilha do Araguaia)[Araguaya Guerrilla]