Lawyer Heleno Fragoso's fight during the dictatorship

A significant book detailing the legal defense of political prisoners during Brazil's military dictatorship is being reissued. "Advocacia da Liberdade - A Defesa nos Processos Políticos," by renowned criminal lawyer Heleno Fragoso (1926-1985), will be launched on the 26th.

Fragoso was a fearless defender of political detainees, even facing arrest himself in 1970. The book recounts his experiences defending individuals in a regime that lacked habeas corpus and tried political cases in military courts. Nearly 50 years later, his defense of union leaders from São Bernardo and Santo André, including Lula, during the 1980 strike remains emblematic. The 41-day strike led to Lula's 31-day imprisonment.

While the union leaders' trial made history, "Advocacia da Liberdade" also revisits cases that underscore the dictatorship's power. Fragoso defended historian Caio Prado Júnior and Niomar Moniz Sodré Bittencourt, owner of the newspaper Correio da Manhã. After the newspaper initially called for João Goulart's deposition, it became a staunch defender of public liberties, leading to censorship and the arrest of Niomar and director Osvaldo Peralva in 1969.

The reissue of Fragoso's work brings attention to the premeditated arbitrary arrests intended to make examples of Brazilian intellectuals. The arrest of Caio Prado Júnior in 1970, for which he was sentenced by a military court, is highlighted. Fragoso appealed, and Prado was eventually acquitted by the Supreme Federal Court after spending 525 days in prison. The book also covers Fragoso's defense of Niomar, who was arrested to demonstrate that even the owner of a prominent newspaper was not beyond the regime's reach.