February 17, 1964
Giovana Vitória Martins Dotta
A police station in Rio de Janeiro stood out for the brutality with which it treated the individuals detained on its premises. The Invernada de Olaria, the name by which the 4th Surveillance and Capture Subsection, located in the neighborhood of Olaria, was known, presented itself as a herald of the fight against the “wave of robberies” in the city. The press – notably the
Última Hora
– denounced crimes ranging from summary execution to torture. Its association with the "Death Squad" category dated back to February 1963.
The police officers assigned to Invernada were known for numerous incidents of beatings and murders. The Merciless One wasn't enough. Years earlier,
Clodomir Morais – lawyer for the Peasant Leagues – was arrested and subjected to brutalities, including the "pau-de-arara" torture method.
The tortures used by the police led to the establishment of a Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry, which operated in Rio's State Legislative Assembly under the presidency of congressman José Bonifácio, from February to April 1963. The facts revealed in the CPI – the same one that investigated the drownings of homeless people in the Rio da Guarda, at the hands of the police – led to the dismissal of detectives Felipe Matias Altério and João Martinho Neto. In addition to the CPI's investigations, the facts were confirmed in an administrative police inquiry, which upheld the guilt of the accused.
Image description: The image is a black-and-white newspaper. At the top, it reads "1st Section" on the left and "CORREIO DA MANHÃ, Saturday" on the right. The main headline, in larger letters, reads: "GOVERNMENT WILL EXPLAIN TRANSFER OF POLICE OFFICERS AND TERROR TRAINING CAMPS". Below the headline, there is a text explaining the transfer of police officers and terror training camps. There are two columns of text, with the main text on the left and a subheading "Violence" on the right. The text mentions the Olaria Training Camp and the Alto da Boa Vista Training Camp, as well as references to Carlos Lacerda and Clodomir Morais.Governo vai explicar cessão de policiais e invernadas do terror. Jornal Correio da Manhã. 7 de novembro de 1964, página 3. Acervo Biblioteca Nacional.