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Carlos Lamarca | |
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| Born | (1937-10-27)October 27, 1937 Rio de Janeiro,Federal District, Brazil |
| Died | September 17, 1971(1971-09-17) (aged 33) Ipupiara,Bahia, Brazil |
| Allegiance | Brazil |
| Service | Brazilian Army |
| Years of service | 1955–1969 |
| Rank | Colonel[a] |
| Unit | United Nations Emergency Force (Suez Battalion) |
| Battles / wars | Suez Crisis |
Carlos Lamarca (Portuguese:[ˈkaʁluzlɐ̃ˈmaʁkɐ,laˈmaʁkɐ]; October 27, 1937 – September 17, 1971) was aBrazilian Army Captain whodeserted to become a member of thearmed struggle against theBrazilian military dictatorship. He was part of the Popular Revolutionary Vanguard (Vanguarda Popular Revolucionária – VPR) and became, along withCarlos Marighella, one of the leaders of the armed struggle. Such groups were armed chiefly for self-protection from the Right-wing dictatorship that unleashedstate terrorism against any who opposed their regime, including students, the clergy, and the children of those who called for democracy. The kidnappings by a few armed groups were conducted to free comrades suffering extremely brutal torture in Brazil's prisons.[2]
Carlos Lamarca was born on October 23, 1937, in the city ofRio de Janeiro. In 1955, he joined the Preparatory School of Military Cadets inPorto Alegre,Rio Grande do Sul. Two years later he was transferred to theMilitary Academy of Agulhas Negras inResende, Rio de Janeiro, in which he graduated as one of the lower ranking cadets of his class, being the 46th placer out of a class of 57 cadets (1960).
Lamarca was a member of theUnited NationsPeacekeeping forces inGaza during theSuez Crisis. He later returned to Brazil, where he supported themilitary coup. In 1967, he was promoted to Captain. In 1969, he deserted from the Army to join VPR, stealing in the process a truck full of military equipment with him.
The theft of the armaments was organized and carried out by him and by Sergeant Darcy Rodrigues, who supposedly convinced Lamarca to join VPR. Also participating in this operation were Corporal Mariani and Private Roberto Zanirato, later murdered under torture inDOI-CODI.
Lamarca became one of the most active militants of the opposition to the 1964 regime. He participated in several operations, such as bank robberies and aguerrilla warfare camp in the extreme south of the state ofSão Paulo.
In 1970, the Army discovered the camp after the arrest of several VPR members in April of that same year. On May 10, 1970, he participated in the assassination of Military Police officer Alberto Mendes Júnior, who surrendered to Lamarca's group in order to prevent the death of two of his fellow soldiers, who were severely injured and needed medical assistance. Mendes was then executed by Lamarca with several blows to the head with the buttstock of a rifle.[3]
In the same year, Lamarca commanded thekidnap of the Swiss Ambassador Giovanni Enrico Bucher, with the purpose of switching him for political prisoners in Rio de Janeiro; in this kidnapping, the Federal Police Agent Hélio Carvalho de Araújo was shot to death by Lamarca. Araújo was in charge of the Swiss Ambassador's security.
Lamarca left VPR and joined theRevolutionary Movement 8th October. The new group sent him toBahia, with the purpose of starting a Revolution in the countryside. On September 17, 1971, he was found by the Army in the small town of Pintada (currently Ipupiara), where he was killed while trying to resist arrest alongside VPR member José Campos Barreto (also known as Zequinha Barreto).[4]
Lamarca was married to Maria Pavan, who was his foster sister, and had two children with her. His wife went into exile inCuba because of the risks she was facing in Brazil. Lamarca also became romantically linked toYara Yavelberg, a partner in his anti-dictatorship activities.
Yavelberg was killed two days before Lamarca, under suspicious circumstances in an apartment inSalvador, capital of Bahia.
After several years and open opposition from the mass media, Lamarca's family successfully obtained indemnification for his death from the Amnesty Commission of the Ministry of Justice. His widow and children were granted 300,000reais as a compensation for the time they lived in exile in Cuba. Lamarca's widow will also receive an allowance equivalent to ageneral'swage, according to the Amnesty Law of 1979.
The City Hall of Ipupiara built a public square in the location where Lamarca died. It is equipped with a playground, a fountain, a canteen, an amphitheatre and a statue of Lamarca. The Praça Capitão Carlos Lamarca (Captain Carlos Lamarca Public Square) was inaugurated on January 13, 2007. The city also paid a tribute to Lamarca by creating a law which added September 17, the day of his death, to the list of local holidays.
Carlos Lamarca was interpreted byPaulo Betti in two films, both of them directed bySérgio Rezende. The first was Lamarca's own biopic and the other was a movie aboutfashion designerZuzu Angel Jones, whoseBrazilian American son was a member of the Revolutionary Movement 8 October alongside Lamarca.
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