Elza Fernandes (October 1, 1921 – March 1, 1936),[2] whose real name was Elvira Cupello Calônio,[3] was a political activist affiliated with the Brazilian Communist Party.
Death
editShe was killed by strangulation in 1936 on suspicion of being a traitor to the communist movement.[4] The order to execute her was given by the leader Luís Carlos Prestes.[5] In 1940, Prestes and others were convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Elza. However, in 1945, he was granted amnesty by Getúlio Vargas, who was seeking his support in the 1950 Brazilian presidential election.[2]
Sérgio Rodrigues, a Brazilian writer, has claimed that the Brazilian left deliberately erased the memory of Elza Fernandes because her death was seen as shameful. When searching through public archives, it was always noticed that the folders related to Elza were empty. Rodrigues wrote a book about her in 2008.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Rodrigues 2018, pp. 24, 29.
- ^ a b Rodrigues 2018, pp. 9–10.
- ^ Rodrigues 2018, p. 10.
- ^ Rodrigues 2018, p. 12.
- ^ Rodrigues 2018, pp. 176–180.
- ^ "Um Escritor na Biblioteca | Sérgio Rodrigues" (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on January 17, 2023.
Bibliography
edit- Rodrigues, Sérgio (2018). Elza, a garota: a história da jovem comunista que o Partido matou (in Portuguese) (2nd ed.). São Paulo: Companhia das Letras. ISBN 9788535931037.