Military officer took part in torture, Brazil court finds
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For the first time a court in Brazil has issued a finding that a military officer took part in torture during the period of military rule that ended in 1985.
The former head of the secret police in San Paulo, Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, who has now retired, will not face a prison term or calls for compensation as he is protected by an amnesty.
The case against him was brought by Maria Amelia de Almeida Teles and her husband Cesar who said they were tortured while their two children were held nearby in an operation that was led by the colonel.
A sister of Mrs Teles, who was pregnant, was also tortured.
However, 36 years later the verdict in the civil case only amounts to a formal declaration of responsibility for the torture.
The retired officer is protected by a law passed in 1979 which granted an amnesty to both military personnel and those involved in armed resistance against the dictatorship.
- BBC
