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02-25-2012, 01:49 PM
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Vladimir Herzog Murder
Vladimir Herzog (27 June 1937 – 25 October 1975) nicknamed Vlado, was a Brazilian journalist, university professor and playwright of Yugoslavian origin. He also developed a taste for photography, because of his film projects. Although his birth name was Vladimir, he adopted the pseudonym of "Vlado", since his real name was very unusual in Brazil. In October 1975, Herzog, then editor in chief of TV Cultura, was tortured to death by the political police of the military dictatorship, which later forged his suicide. His death had a great impact on the Brazilian society, marking the beginning of the redemocratization process of the country. According to journalist Sérgio Gomes, Herzog is a "symbol of the struggle for democracy, freedom, and justice". Arrest and murder On 24 October 1975 – when Herzog was already editor in chief of TV Cultura – Army agents summoned him to testify about his connections with the then illegal PCB. The following day, Herzog went to the DOI-CODI in order to comply with the summons. His interrogation, however, was conducted through a torture session. He was arrested with other two journalists, Jorge Duque Estrada Benigno and Leandro Konder, which later confirmed his beating. On 25 October, Herzog's body was found hanging in his prison cell. Although the official cause of his death is "suicide by hanging", there is a consensus in the Brazilian society that he was tortured to death. The DOI-CODI officers would have placed his body in the position it was found in order to inform the press that he had committed suicide. There are several facts in the photos of Herzog's dead body that prove the impossibility of a suicide attempt. He could not have hanged himself with a belt, because the officers collected the belts from inmates. His legs were bent and in his neck there are two marks of hanging instead of only one, showing that he was strangled to death. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Herzog |