Fiocruz honors scientists stripped of rights during military dictatorship

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) has awarded posthumous emeritus researcher titles to ten scientists whose political rights were revoked during Brazil's military dictatorship in 1970. This historical episode is known as the "Manguinhos Massacre."

The honorees include Augusto Cid de Mello Perissé, Tito Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti, Haity Moussatché, Fernando Braga Ubatuba, Moacyr Vaz de Andrade, Hugo de Souza Lopes, Masao Goto, Sebastião José de Oliveira, and Domingos Arthur Machado Filho. Symbolic titles were also presented to researcher Herman Lent and Walter Oswaldo Cruz, son of the foundation's patron.

The ceremony took place at the Fiocruz Castle in Rio de Janeiro. The event served as a "manifesto for freedom," bridging the gap between the scientists' original reinstatement in 1986 and the present day. Fiocruz President Mario Moreira emphasized the importance of the gesture, stating, "We are here exactly so that it does not repeat... So that science, education, and democracy are never again seen as threats."