Retired Brazilian colonel ordered to pay damages for the torture and death of a journalist

Retired Brazilian colonel ordered to pay damages for the torture and death of a journalist
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, June 27, 10:27 AM

SAO PAULO — A Brazilian court has sentenced a retired army colonel to pay damages for the torture and death of a journalist 41 years ago during Brazil’s long military dictatorship.

The anti-torture group Tortura Nunca Mais says it is the first time a former high-ranking officer has been found guilty of crimes committed during the 1964-1985 military government.

Sao Paulo state court Judge Claudia de Lima Menge says in a statement posted Wednesday that former Col. Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra was responsible for the “brutal beatings” that led to the death of Luiz Eduardo da Rocha Merlino in a Sao Paulo jail in 1971.

Menge ordered Ustra to pay 50,000 reals ($25,000) each to Merlino’s common-law wife and his sister.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/retired-brazilian-colonel-ordered-to-pay-damages-for-the-torture-and-death-of-a-journalist/2012/06/27/gJQAn9Yu6V_story.html