The Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF-1) upheld a R$ 400,000 indemnity to Dilma Rousseff for moral damages from persecutions and tortures during Brazil's military dictatorship. The ruling also grants a permanent monthly pension, overriding a prior limit of a single R$ 100,000 payment. It underscores severe human rights violations by the state.
The 6th Panel of the TRF-1 recognized Dilma Rousseff as a political amnesty holder and set a R$ 400,000 indemnity for moral damages, plus a monthly, permanent, and continued economic reparation. The pension amount will be based on her remuneration at the Fundação de Economia e Estatística when she was removed for political reasons in 1970, accounting for career progression she would have had.
At age 22, Dilma was arrested in 1970 for her involvement in dictatorship resistance groups, such as VAR-Palmares. During imprisonment, she endured systematic tortures, including electric shocks, pau-de-arara, drownings, and absolute isolation, leading to permanent physical and psychological sequelae. In a 2001 deposition, she described sessions of palmatória, punches to the face, and other abuses.
The Union and the Amnesty Commission advocated for a single R$ 100,000 payment, but the court rejected this, applying Law 10.559/2002 for cases with labor ties. The judges emphasized the 'exceptional gravity' of the violations and dismissed prescription, stating that actions for torture and political persecution are imprescriptible.
In his vote, Desembargador Flávio Jardim stressed: 'The complete reparation to the political amnesty holder is not only an act of individual justice, but an essential contribution to lasting social reconciliation'.
Dilma's request was filed in 2002, suspended during her time as minister and president, and resumed after her 2016 impeachment. Denied in April 2022 by Minister Damares Alves, it was unanimously approved by the Amnesty Commission in May 2025. She has already received R$ 72,000 in state indemnities from Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio Grande do Sul.
