The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has condemned Brazil for the third time over violations during the military dictatorship, in the case of Denise Crispim and Eduardo Leite, known as Bacuri. The ruling, issued in July 2025 and disclosed in December, holds the State accountable for failing to conduct a timely and effective investigation. Denise, who was tortured while pregnant in 1970, describes the proof-gathering process as dramatic.
Denise Crispim, now 76 years old, was arrested and tortured in July 1970 when she was six months pregnant. Her partner, Eduardo Leite, or Bacuri, a militant of the ALN (National Liberation Alliance), was captured in August of the same year and executed by the regime on December 8, 1970, after 109 days of torture, the longest recorded for a political prisoner.
Upon receiving Bacuri's body, Denise felt a continuation of the violence: "I have the impression that the one who executed Eduardo was there. There is a satisfaction in presenting the body without revealing themselves as one of the authors. It's almost a continuation of the torture".
The case, submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2012 by Cejil, led to a report in September 2021 with recommendations not fulfilled, escalating to the Inter-American Court in 2022. The ruling recognizes violations against Denise, her daughter Eduarda, and husband Leonardo Ditta, including gender-based violence, as Denise gave birth in custody at a military hospital.
"The process of producing evidence was very painful and unfair. The State had all the documentation, including photos of the tortured. They had all the evidence in hand, but it's the victim who has to prove it," said Denise, who has lived in Italy since the 1970s.
Carolina Cyrillo, a law professor at UFRJ and UBA, stresses that the State must produce evidence: "It is obliged to produce evidence in search of the truth". The NIDH, coordinated by her, highlighted the gender perspective. Carla Osmo from Unifesp notes the prolonged impact on family life.
This is Brazil's third condemnation by the Inter-American Court for dictatorship crimes, following the Araguaia cases (2010) and Vladimir Herzog (2018). The 1979 Amnesty Law is viewed as an obstacle to truth. In the STF, actions to review the law are pending, with rapporteurs including Dias Toffoli, Alexandre de Moraes, and Flávio Dino.
Denise and Bacuri's story inspired the 2013 film "Repare Bem". Denise hopes the ruling will help process the grief with her daughter: "I want us to be able to elaborate it better together".
