Brazilian journalist Rose Nogueira, president of the group Tortura Nunca Mais (Torture Never Again). called for the reopening of investigations of repression during the period of military dictatorship in Brazil (1964-85).
Nogueira believes in the authenticity of the photographs published Sunday, October 17 in the Federal District’s daily Correio Braziliense, showing the journalist Wladimir Herzog naked.
The pictures were allegedly taken in the building of the Department of Operations and Information and Center of Internal Defense Operations (Doi-Codi), in the city of São Paulo.
Nogueira, who spent time as a political prisoner in 1969, worked with Herzog at the TV Cultura, in São Paulo, when he was called to testify at the Doi-Codi, in October, 1975.
“Herzog is a symbol of the over 400 people tortured to death during the military regime,” the journalist pointed out.
As president of the Torture, Never Again, group, she believes that there are still documents that have not been presented and may be important to identify individuals who were responsible and to clarify facts.
Following his testimony, Herzog was arrested. On October 25, 1975, he was found dead in a Doi-Codi cell.
According to the version released by the military at the time, Herzog had committed suicide.
In 1978, the courts held the federal government responsible for the illegal arrest, torture, and death of the journalist.
In 1996, the Special Commission on the Politically Vanished admitted that Herzog had been murdered in the São Paulo Doi-Codi and decided to pay his family an indemnity.
Agência Brasil
Translator: David Silberstein