Dilma Rousseff mourns journalist Amelinha Teles’s death
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Former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff expressed sorrow over the death of journalist, writer, and feminist activist Amelinha Teles in São Paulo, Brazil.
Rousseff highlighted Teles’s long history of resistance against the military dictatorship and her advocacy for women’s rights. Teles faced arrest and torture during the dictatorship, and her young children were also taken into custody by government agents. Despite enduring abuse, Teles continued her activism after her release from prison.
She played a key role in the feminist movement and contributed to securing rights for women in Brazil’s 1988 Constitution. Alongside family members, Teles pursued legal action that led to Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, a former commander, becoming the first agent of the dictatorship officially recognized by Brazilian courts as a torturer. Born in Contagem, Minas Gerais in 1944, Teles began her political activism as a young woman.
She worked with the Communist Party of Brazil and helped create underground publications that exposed the abuses of the dictatorship. The Universidade Federal de São Paulo awarded Teles an honorary doctorate in 2023 for her contributions to society. A farewell ceremony for Teles took place at the university on Wednesday.
