The trial against the newspaper Última Hora

Abstract

The author presents the indictment brought against journalists of the newspaper Última Hora, accused of crimes against national security during the regime established by the 1964 Revolution, and examines the concept of antiquity of the criminal episode, the newspaper's editorial line and the ideological Manichaeism of the period. He reports the crimes attributed to the defendants, defined under the National Security Law and the Military Penal Code, and the gravity of the charges, which totaled sentences of up to 880 years of imprisonment. He describes the habeas corpus petition before the Supreme Federal Court and the outcome of the case, with the dismissal of the criminal action. Finally, he traces the legislative history of political crimes and their treatment under the 1988 Constitution.