The death certificate of the civil engineer and former federal deputy Rubens Paiva, who disappeared on January 20, 1971 during the military dictatorship, was changed on Thursday (23). The document now states that the cause of the politician’s death was “Not natural”, violent and caused by the Brazilian state.
The amendment occurred due to a resolution of the National Council of Justice (CNJ) published on December 13, 2024, which provides for the duty of recognize and rectify records of all the dead and missing victims of the military dictatorship.
In 1996, after 25 years of the disappearance of the civil engineer, his wife, Eunice Paiva, got the country to issue his death certificate. However, Rubens’s certificate had only one observation in the endorsements regarding its disappearance.
According to the Association of Natural People Registers (ARPEN), the regulation establishes that the death certificates of the victims of dictatorship issued between 1964 and 1985 should include the information that the cause of death was “unnatural, violent, caused by the state in the context of systematic persecution to the population identified as a political dissident of the dictatorial regime established in 1964. ”
The measure, proposed by the Ministry of Human Rights, aims to correct records that historically omitted the state’s responsibility in the deaths, as in the case of Rubens Paiva.
The decision configures an important step in recognizing human rights violations and promoting historical truth, as recommended by the National Truth Commission (CNV).
Still according to Arpen, information on certificates is a symbolic act, which aims to restore the dignity of the victims and their families, allowing family members to have access to the truth about the past and to rewrite their narratives of pain and injustice.
The resolution determines that the notary’s offices make these changes regardless of request and free of charge, facilitating the process for affected families.
Oscar indication
For the first time in history, Brazil received an Oscar nomination in the best film category. The announcement was made this Thursday, and the feature film “I’m Still Here”, which tells the story about the fight and trajectory of Eunice Paiva, widow of Rubens Paiva, will compete for the top prize of the academy, disputing productions such as “ The brumalist “,“ Anora ”and other major competitors.
Who was Eunice Paiva?
Eunice Paiva was born in São Paulo and grew up in the Brás neighborhood, according to information from the dictatorship dossier, gathered by the Vladimir Herzog Institute.
Eunice married Rubens Paiva and the two had five children: Marcelo Rubens Paiva, Vera Paiva, Maria Eliana Paiva, Ana Lúcia Paiva and Maria Beatriz Paiva.
The family lived in Rio de Janeiro when, in January 1971, the military went to their home and took her, her husband and daughter Eliana to the detachment of Operations and Information (DOI) of the Army. Eliana was arrested for 24 hours, while Eunice remained for 12 days, subjected to interrogation.
After being released by the military, Eunice Paiva then began the search for her husband’s whereabouts, who was never seen again.
*Under supervision
This content was originally published in Rubens Paiva’s death certificate is corrected and holds dictatorship on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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