Edson Luís de Lima Souto
Encyclopedia
Edson Luís de Lima Souto (February 24, 1950 – March 28, 1968) was a Brazil
ian teenager student killed by the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro
after a confrontation in the restaurant Calabouço, in downtown Rio de Janeiro
. Edson was one of the first students killed by the military dictatorship
, and the aftermath of his death marked the beginning of a turbulent year for the regime, which ended up with the enactment of AI-5
, a decree restricting most of the basic human rights
guarantees.
, Pará
, Edson Luís began his studies at the Augusto Meira State School in his hometown. He later moved to Rio de Janeiro in order to study at the Instituto Cooperativo de Ensino (Cooperative Education Institute), a high school
facility where the Calabouço restaurant for low-income students operated.
Around 6:00 pm, the Military Police arrived at the location and dispersed the protesters who were in front of the building. Some students took refuge inside the restaurant and responded to police violence with sticks and stones. This caused the police to step back, and the street was left deserted. When the officers returned, shots were fired from the building of the Brazilian Legion of Assistance, which caused panic among the students, who fled the location.
The police believed that the students were planning to attack the nearby United States Embassy and eventually broke into the restaurant. During the raid, the commander of the Military Police troops, Aloísio Raposo, shot and killed Edson Luís with a point-blank shot
into his chest. Another student, Benedito Frazão Dutra, was injured and later died in the hospital.
Between the funeral and the seventh-day mass held in the Candelária Church
on April 2, several demonstrations were organized across the country to protest against Edson Luís' death. In São Paulo
, around 4,000 students staged a protest at the University of São Paulo
Medical School. Demonstrations also were held in the August XI Academic Center of the São Francisco Law School
, in the Polytechnic School of USP, and in the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo
.
Rio de Janeiro literally stopped on the day of Edson Luís' burial. To express their protest, movie theaters in Cinelândia
announced the screening of three films: The Night of the Generals
, Point Blank, and Coração de Luto (Heart of Grief). In hundreds of movie posters phrases such as "Does bullets kill hunger?", "Old people in power, young people in coffin", and "They killed a student... what if it was your son?" were written.
Edson Luís was buried to the sound of the "Brazilian National Anthem
", sung by the crowd present at the cemetery.
was held at the Candelária Church to honor the memory of Edson Luís. After the mass, people leaving the church were attacked by the cavalry of the Military Police with saber-rattling. Dozens of people were injured.
Another mass was to be held on the same day, but the military dictatorship vetoed the religious event. The vicar-general of Rio de Janeiro, D. Castro Pinto, however, insisted on performing it. Around 600 people attended the mass. Fearing a massacre, the priests ordered people not to leave the church. On the outside, there were three ranks of soldiers on horseback with sabers, behind them were the Marine Corps and several of the DOPS agents.
In an unprecedented act of courage, the churchmen took hands, forming a human barrier between the police and those who attended the mass. They escorted the churchgoers safely up to Rio Branco Street. However, the police waited until the clergyman left to start beating several people.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian teenager student killed by the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
after a confrontation in the restaurant Calabouço, in downtown Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. Edson was one of the first students killed by the military dictatorship
Military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....
, and the aftermath of his death marked the beginning of a turbulent year for the regime, which ended up with the enactment of AI-5
AI-5
The Ato Institucional Número Cinco – AI-5 was the fifth of seventeen major decrees issued by the military dictatorship in the years following the 1964 coup d'état in Brazil...
, a decree restricting most of the basic human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
guarantees.
Biography
Born into an impoverished family of BelémBelém
Belém is a Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of state of Pará, in the country's north region. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and bus/coach station...
, Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
, Edson Luís began his studies at the Augusto Meira State School in his hometown. He later moved to Rio de Janeiro in order to study at the Instituto Cooperativo de Ensino (Cooperative Education Institute), a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
facility where the Calabouço restaurant for low-income students operated.
Death
On March 28, 1968, students in Rio de Janeiro organized a surprise march to protest against the high prices of meals in the Calabouço Restaurant, that began in the late afternoon on that same day.Around 6:00 pm, the Military Police arrived at the location and dispersed the protesters who were in front of the building. Some students took refuge inside the restaurant and responded to police violence with sticks and stones. This caused the police to step back, and the street was left deserted. When the officers returned, shots were fired from the building of the Brazilian Legion of Assistance, which caused panic among the students, who fled the location.
The police believed that the students were planning to attack the nearby United States Embassy and eventually broke into the restaurant. During the raid, the commander of the Military Police troops, Aloísio Raposo, shot and killed Edson Luís with a point-blank shot
Point-blank range
In external ballistics, point-blank range is the distance between a firearm and a target of a given size such that the bullet in flight is expected to strike the target without adjusting the elevation of the firearm. The point-blank range will vary with the firearm and its particular ballistic...
into his chest. Another student, Benedito Frazão Dutra, was injured and later died in the hospital.
Aftermath
Fearing that the police would hide Edson Luís' body, students did not allow him to be taken to the Forensic Institute; instead, they carried him to the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro, where a funeral service was held. An autopsy was performed there by doctors Nilo Ramos de Assis and Ivan Nogueira Bastos, under pressure from Military Police officers and agents of DOPS, the military regime's political police.Between the funeral and the seventh-day mass held in the Candelária Church
Candelária Church
The Candelária Church is an important historical church in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. It was built and decorated during a long period and combines a Baroque façade with a Neoclassical and Neo-Renaissance inner decoration.The church was the site of several significant moments for the...
on April 2, several demonstrations were organized across the country to protest against Edson Luís' death. In São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, around 4,000 students staged a protest at the University of São Paulo
University of São Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian university and one of the country's most prestigious...
Medical School. Demonstrations also were held in the August XI Academic Center of the São Francisco Law School
Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo
Faculty of Law of the University of São Paulo is an institution of higher education and research in the field of Law located in São Paulo, Brazil...
, in the Polytechnic School of USP, and in the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo
Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo
The Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo and popular known as simply PUC or the Catholic University is a private and non-profit Catholic university. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Brazilian universities...
.
Rio de Janeiro literally stopped on the day of Edson Luís' burial. To express their protest, movie theaters in Cinelândia
Cinelândia
Cinelândia is the popular name of a major public square in the centre of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Its official name is Praça Floriano Peixoto, in honour of the second president of Brazil, Floriano Peixoto.-History:...
announced the screening of three films: The Night of the Generals
The Night of the Generals
The Night of the Generals is a 1967 suspense thriller film directed by Anatole Litvak. Set during World War II, the story was adapted from the novel of the same name by Hans Hellmut Kirst. It stars Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Tom Courtenay, Donald Pleasence, Joanna Pettet and Philippe Noiret.The...
, Point Blank, and Coração de Luto (Heart of Grief). In hundreds of movie posters phrases such as "Does bullets kill hunger?", "Old people in power, young people in coffin", and "They killed a student... what if it was your son?" were written.
Edson Luís was buried to the sound of the "Brazilian National Anthem
Brazilian national anthem
The Brazilian national anthem was composed by Francisco Manuel da Silva in 1831 and had been given at least two sets of unofficial lyrics before a 1922 decree by President Epitácio Pessoa gave the anthem its definitive, official lyrics, by Osório Duque-Estrada, after several changes were made to...
", sung by the crowd present at the cemetery.
The Mass
On the morning of April 4, a Roman Catholic massMass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
was held at the Candelária Church to honor the memory of Edson Luís. After the mass, people leaving the church were attacked by the cavalry of the Military Police with saber-rattling. Dozens of people were injured.
Another mass was to be held on the same day, but the military dictatorship vetoed the religious event. The vicar-general of Rio de Janeiro, D. Castro Pinto, however, insisted on performing it. Around 600 people attended the mass. Fearing a massacre, the priests ordered people not to leave the church. On the outside, there were three ranks of soldiers on horseback with sabers, behind them were the Marine Corps and several of the DOPS agents.
In an unprecedented act of courage, the churchmen took hands, forming a human barrier between the police and those who attended the mass. They escorted the churchgoers safely up to Rio Branco Street. However, the police waited until the clergyman left to start beating several people.