Act at the house of a leader of the Civil-Military Dictatorship in Brazil during the People’s Summit

Rio de Janeiro, Botafogo, Avenue Lauro Müller, number 96, apartment 1409. In this address lives, comfortably retired, the military Dulene Garcez Alexis dos Reis, who during years lead the Civil-Military Dictatorship in Brazil, and tortured and murdered left militants, on the premises of the notorious DOI-CODI in Tijuca. Among his victims, are the journalist and secretary general of the Brazilian Communist Party Revolutionary (PCBR), Mário Alves.

Dulene Alexius was captain of the Army Infantry in 1970 and served the following year in Armored Infantry Battalion (BIB) of Barra Mansa. Dulene participated in the torture of Mario Alves which culminated in the death of the leader by bowel perforation and internal bleeding caused by impalement with wooden batons and streaks of iron.

Demanding Memory, Truth and Justice, more than 3,000 people held a demonstration of “Escracho” in front of the building where the former torturer lives. The experience, inherited from countries like Argentina and Chile (where the protest is called Funa), has been practiced in Brazil by youth and human rights organizations, such as the Collective Torture Never Again and the Popular Youth Levant, to press the newly installed Truth Commission of the Federal Government.

After walking from the campus of the UFRJ, dialogue with people through pamphlets, drums and slogans, the protesters set up a large gathering on the street in front of the apartment of the military. Besides the already mentioned organizations, participated the National Coordination for the Memory, Truth and Justice, popular movements, Via Campesina, political parties, UNE, the mandate of Mr Marcelo Freixo and human rights organizations.

For Ana Miranda, of the Collective Torture Never Again, disclosure of the abuse of public power during the Civil-Military Dictatorship is essential to stop the pace of violence by the police in Brasil. “Engaging youth is spectacular, because my sons, who have more than 30 years, were, like us, who suffer with the dictatorship, marked by silence.”
Ana adds: “the youth understands that it is an issue of the entire Brazilian society, because torture and violence continues to exist and the amnesty law by the Supreme Court is used as a free pass to impunity”. She draws attention to the fact that if there is unpunishment and justice in relation to torture, disappearances and deaths of the period of dictatorship, violence will continue.

With great animation, the participants of the act promoted a mystical moment, in memory of victims of the military repression, and recited poems written by the Communist leader Carlos Marighella’s and Mario Alves. In an environment marked by excessive police presence, other victims like Edson Luís Manoel Lisboa and Edgar Aquino Duarte, all dead in the dungeons of dictatorship were celebrated.

“Despite the criticisms we have about the Truth Commission, it is an important step, but will only work if there is popular participation. We do not need waiting for it: lawsuits against torturers exist, but they are protected by the amnesty law” says Ana Miranda. “Brazil is a contradictory country. It signs international treaties against torture, but has a law of amnesty” explains.