The Brazilian government has issued a decree to eventually open secret files from the country's 1964-1985 military regime.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed the decree Thursday, revoking a previous decree by previous President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, which had allowed such documents to remain classified forever.
Under the decree, documents may only remain classified for up to 60 years, while lower-level files can only be kept secret for up to 20 years.
The presidential decree could shed light on a military crackdown against Communist guerrillas in the Amazon jungle more than 30 years ago. More than 60 fighters are believed to have died in the operation.
Family members of the guerrillas have repeatedly asked for access to the files to help them locate their remains.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
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Brazil to Open Former Military Dictatorship's Secret Files
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