Hearing at the Inter-American Court will judge Brazil on the situation of impunity regarding the torture and execution suffered by journalist Vladimir Herzog

Rio de Janeiro, May 16th, 2017 .-  A public hearing will take on May 24th at the Inter-American Court on Human Rights, on the case of Vladimir Herzog, a journalist who was tortured and executed on October 24, 1975 by agents of the military dictatorship. The crimes were committed within São Paulo’s DOI-CODI and remain in a state of impunity. 

The hearing will be transmitted live: www.corteidh.or.cr and will start at 09:00 AM 

Vladimir Herzog was a journalist who was tortured and murdered by the military dictatorship on October 25, 1975. Herzog’s execution, misrepresented as suicide by the military regime, prompted a reaction of public outrage: his death took place under the guardianship of the state soon after the journalist  had been taken to police headquarter and intimidated into giving a declaration. 

Vladimir Herzog’s death marked a turning point for the country’s history. It pushed Brazil forward towards redemocratization. While there is no doubt that his execution shocked society, it was a personal tragedy for his wife Clarice and their children Ivo and Andrés, as well as for hundreds of friends and journalists who were deprived of his company, intelligence, and talent. The presentation of Vladimir Herzog’s case at the Inter-American Court is emblematic because of the seriousness of the violations perpetrated against him – torture and execution,- which imply another example of the Brazilian State’s failure to perform justice for the crimes committed by public and private agents in the dictatorship Military (1964 -1985).

Herzog vs. Brazil, will provide a new opportunity for the country to confront challenges gettiing in the way of providing justice to victims ofcrimes committed by the military dictatorship.

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