VLADIMIR HERZOG
WHERE - 1030 Tomas Carvalhal St. S.Paulo. The Doi Codi.
(Operational Department of Information of the Operations)
Center of the Internal Defense), an organ of the Second
Army, also called by their employees "South America's
Greatest Center for Torture", or "The Hell's Branch."
WHO - Vladimir Herzog, Vlado. 38 years old,
a journalist, married, two children.
Captain Ubirajara. Lieutenant Granciere, "interrogators."
WHAT - Vlado died followed by six hours of torture,
after presenting himself to the DOI-CODI, which was
searching for him. The Second Army, lead by General
Ednardo alleged his death was a suicide.
The SNI, (National Service of Information) lead by
General João Batista Figueiredo (later Brazil's president)
confirmed the allegation and even gave Vlado's "motives":
"to cause agitation"; "to render services to his group";
fear of "justice"; and to hide "compromising facts"
that he would have to reveal. In October 1978 Judge
Marcio Jose de Morais (SP) presided the law suit brought
by Vlado's widow. They demolished the suicide thesis
and held the Federal Union responsible for Vlado's torture
and death. The Federal Union appealed.
HOW - Beaten. (A witness saw the body and said that
Vlado had been badly beaten.) Electrical shocks.
(Another witness incarcerated beside the "interrogation
room" heard the torturer asking for the "pimentinha"
(little pepper: an electrical shock machine). Drowning.
With the nose blocked, the torturer put a turned on water
hose into Vlados mouth.
WHY - Vlado was "accused" of being a member of the
Brazilian Communist Party.
"The torture in the "dragon's chair" consists in placing a nude person in a chair with the arms and legs tied up. They used a metal seat and they wet it. They tied some wires in my ears and in my genital organ. To make it worse they put salt rocks in my mouth and ammonia in my nose. In addition, the screaming, punches and wood stick blows."This information and testimony were extracted from the Dossier Herzog by Fernando Jordão.
ED. Global.
Testimony by Sergio Gomes da Silva, a journalist also incarcerated at the DOI-CODI when Vlado was there.
Larger photo: - Clarice Herzog, Vlado's widow and her two children.
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