Task Force Completes Further Stage of Removal of IML Archive in Lapa

Overview

• The joint task force led by the Rio de Janeiro public archive, IPHAN and rights groups completed a further removal stage on Wednesday, July 23, transferring functional files from the former DESPS and microfilms of cadaver reports dated 1965–1982.
• Federal court orders obtained by the Ministério Público Federal require the state to remove and carry out technical treatment of all documentation and require the Union to complete legal reversion of the building.
• Inspections beginning in March 2025 found the decommissioned IML in severe decay with falling plaster, broken windows, moisture damage, pest contamination and fire risk, prompting urgent removals and increased on-site security.
• The archive is large—reported at about 440,000 iconographic items and nearly 3,000 linear meters of records—and Aperj says more than half remains in the building with work expected to continue through the end of August.
• Limited archival capacity has forced negotiations with UFRJ and UniRio for temporary housing of material, and preservation teams say the collection could hold information on disappeared political prisoners and rights abuses from mid-20th century repressive periods.