Licínio Pereira da Silva
Encyclopedia
Licínio Pereira da Silva (? - April 1, 2008) was a former Portuguese
political prisoner
under the regime of António de Oliveira Salazar
, an era of Portuguese history known as the Estado Novo. Pereira da Silva was the last political prisoner convicted by the Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado, better known as the PIDE
, the secret service force used by the Salazar regime to repress dissent during the Estado Novo.
Licínio Pereira da Silva was arrested by the PIDE and accused of supporting desertions in the Portuguese colonies in Africa
. He was tried by a special court armed with security measures, which was usually reserved for prisoners who were considered to be a major threat to the Salazar regime. Pereira da Silva was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison in 1973. However, Pereira da Silva was released from prison in Peniche on April 25, 1974, following the beginning of the Carnation Revolution
. He was the last political prisoner of the PIDE
.
Licínio Pereira da Silva died of a nosocomial infection
at the age of 63 on April 1, 2008, while hospitalized at the Hospital Garcia de Orta in Almada, Portugal. His funeral, with a cremation
, was held at the Cemitério dos Olivais in Lisbon
on April 4, 2008.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
under the regime of António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar
António de Oliveira Salazar, GColIH, GCTE, GCSE served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He also served as acting President of the Republic briefly in 1951. He founded and led the Estado Novo , the authoritarian, right-wing government that presided over and controlled Portugal...
, an era of Portuguese history known as the Estado Novo. Pereira da Silva was the last political prisoner convicted by the Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado, better known as the PIDE
PIDE
In 1969, Marcello Caetano changed the name PIDE to DGS . The death of Salazar and the subsequent ascension of Caetano brought some attempts at democratization, in order to avoid popular insurgency against censorship, the ongoing colonial war and the general restriction of civil rights...
, the secret service force used by the Salazar regime to repress dissent during the Estado Novo.
Licínio Pereira da Silva was arrested by the PIDE and accused of supporting desertions in the Portuguese colonies in Africa
Portuguese Colonial War
The Portuguese Colonial War , also known in Portugal as the Overseas War or in the former colonies as the War of liberation , was fought between Portugal's military and the emerging nationalist movements in Portugal's African colonies between 1961 and 1974, when the Portuguese regime was...
. He was tried by a special court armed with security measures, which was usually reserved for prisoners who were considered to be a major threat to the Salazar regime. Pereira da Silva was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison in 1973. However, Pereira da Silva was released from prison in Peniche on April 25, 1974, following the beginning of the Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
. He was the last political prisoner of the PIDE
PIDE
In 1969, Marcello Caetano changed the name PIDE to DGS . The death of Salazar and the subsequent ascension of Caetano brought some attempts at democratization, in order to avoid popular insurgency against censorship, the ongoing colonial war and the general restriction of civil rights...
.
Licínio Pereira da Silva died of a nosocomial infection
Nosocomial infection
A nosocomial infection , also known as a hospital-acquired infection or HAI, is an infection whose development is favoured by a hospital environment, such as one acquired by a patient during a hospital visit or one developing among hospital staff...
at the age of 63 on April 1, 2008, while hospitalized at the Hospital Garcia de Orta in Almada, Portugal. His funeral, with a cremation
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
, was held at the Cemitério dos Olivais in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
on April 4, 2008.