Sérgio Fernando Paranhos Fleury (19 May 1933 – reported deceased as of 1 May 1979) was a Brazilian police deputy during the

Brazilian military dictatorship The military dictatorship in Brazil (), occasionally referred to as the Fifth Brazilian Republic, was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against presi ...

. He was chief of ''DOPS'', the Brazilian "", which had a major role during the years of the

Brazilian military government The military dictatorship in Brazil (), occasionally referred to as the Fifth Brazilian Republic, was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against presid ...

. Fleury was known for his violent temper and was officially accused of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

and

homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

of numerous people, but drowned at sea before being tried.

Activities

He became known for his participation in

and extrajudicial killings during the military regime. Several prisoner reports and witness testimonies indicate that he consistently used torture during interrogations during the time of the military regime. Fleury was directly involved in the torture of Tito de Alencar Lima, known as " Frei Tito", a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

who opposed the military regime in Brazil. Besides using torture, Fleury was investigated and denounced by prosecutors Hélio Bicudo and Dirceu de Mello for murders committed by the

Death Squadron The Galactic Empire, also known simply as the Empire, is a fictional autocracy featured in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced in the 1977 film ''Star Wars (film), Star Wars,'' it is the main antagonistic faction of the Star Wars original tr ...

. The Public Prosecutor of São Paulo found him to be the main leader of the Death Squadron which was responsible for innumerable extrajudicial killings in Brazil. Although convicted, he did not serve time in prison. His biography by Brazilian journalist Percival de Souza, titled ''Autópsia do Medo'', details his involvement with torture and several extrajudicial killings.

Death and legacy

According to his wife, he drowned while out on his boat on 1 May 1979. A street in the city of

São Carlos São Carlos (Saint Charles, in English, ; named after Charles Borromeo, Saint Charles Borromeo) is a Brazilian city and municipality in the Interior of São Paulo, interior of the state of São Paulo, 254 kilometers from the city of São Paulo. ...

was named after him until 2009, when protests resulted in legislation that changed the name of the street to Frei Tito.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleury, Sergio Paranhos 1933 births 1979 deaths People from Niterói Brazilian anti-communists Brazilian police officers Boating accident deaths Politicide perpetrators People who died at sea Torturers

Activities

Death and legacy

See also

References