Volkswagen (VW) has appointed historian Professor Christopher Kopper to investigate allegations the company permitted the torture of employees opposed to the Brazilian junta between 1964 and 1985. Last year, former VW workers filed a civil lawsuit in Brazil claiming dozens employees had been arrested and tortured at a factory belonging to the carmaker. VW was originally founded in the 1930s by a Nazi trade union. Last month, the company’s chief historian, Manfred Grieger, resigned after alleging that a study of VW subsidiary Audi minimised links with the Nazis.
Volkswagen (VW) has appointed historian Professor Christopher Kopper to investigate allegations the company permitted the torture of employees opposed to the Brazilian junta between 1964 and 1985. Last year, former VW workers filed a civil lawsuit in Brazil claiming 12 employees had been arrested and tortured at a factory belonging to the carmaker. VW was originally founded in the 1930s by a Nazi trade union. Last month, the company’s chief historian, Manfred Grieger, resigned after alleging that a study of VW subsidiary Audi minimised links with the Nazis.