WHO - Luiz Eduardo da Rocha Merlino,
24 years of age, journalist, native of Santos;
armed men with machine guns claiming to be
with the Army; and Oban policemen.
WHAT - Mr. Merlino was arrested in his house on a Thursday.
On the following Monday Merlino's family learned
on the local news that their son had committed suicide!
They claimed that Merlino had been run over by a car
on Highway BR-116, on July 19, 1971, while being escorted
to the State of Rio Grande do Sul (South of Brazil).
Merlino had been tortured for 5 consecutive days and
had died, most likely from necrosis, by being hung for
several hours upside down from his knees and tortured.
His mother filed a lawsuit with the Federal Justice system.
HOW - By being hung upside down from his Knees;
and tortured by severe beating.
WHY - Suspected of participating
in a clandestine organization.
AN INDIVIDUAL ALLEGEDLY CLAIMING TO BE A NURSE
- "Before being questioned he
started feeling some numbness
in his legs..."
- "Left or right?
- "I believe it was the left one,
I'm not quite sure. This numbness
ended up getting worse. After the
questioning, he was taken to the
front patio, since the cell door exits
onto a patio; and he was placed on a
table. An individual claiming to be a
nurse, wearing soldier boots and a
white smock started doing massage.
They left the cell door open, and then
I could see, much clearer, his facial
features. I spent several hours watching,
and then, later on I recognized by the
picture on the newspaper, that it was
indeed Luiz Eduardo Merlino."
Sources:
- Unit # 49, August 1979.
"Torture and Death of a Journalist",
interview given by sculptor Guido Rocha
to Bernardo Kucinski, when he was
imprisoned with Merlino.
- The same interview was also published
in the Movimento News, from 6 to 12 of August 1979.
