After Nine Years in Prison, Ex-PM Receives Apology for Torture in Paraná

The Brazilian state made a formal apology to former military road police officer Gerson Milusk de Carvalho, who spent at least nine years in prison after a conviction based on confession obtained under torture. The ceremony took place on Thursday in Pitanga, in the central region of Paraná, 31 years after the violations.

Public recognition is in accordance with a recommendation of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Representatives of the federal and state governments, the justice system and civil society participated in the act. Gerson was charged with involvement in the deaths of Wilson Schon and Irene Maria dos Santos in Pitanga in March 1995.

Two years later, he was sentenced to 26 years in prison. He denied involvement in the crime and reported being coerced into confessing.

A letter written in prison led to the case being dealt with by the commission

While serving his sentence, Gerson worked in the prison library and began studying law books. The reading allowed him to identify ways to question the conviction and present complaints to different institutions. In 2003, a handwritten letter led the case to the IACHR. In the document, he reported imprisonment without a court order, physical and psychological assaults, and testimony without a lawyer.

Among the practices reported were electric shocks, drowning simulations and torture sessions in "pau de arara". According to the report, the statements obtained in these circumstances were used in the criminal proceedings. In 2014, the commission recommended the review of the case by the Brazilian courts.

Apology does not annul conviction

During the ceremony, the state acknowledged the damage caused to Gerson and the family and made commitments related to reparation and the prevention of further violations. Public recognition, however, does not automatically nullify the conviction. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has appointed a prosecutor to assess the criminal review.

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The measures announced also include the continuation of investigations to clarify the facts and identify those responsible, in addition to initiatives to strengthen the Public Defender’s Office and to combat torture. For Gerson, the act represents relief after decades of struggle, but it does not erase the period of separation of the children. The family stressed that his persistence was essential to maintain the search for reparations.

The Public Defender’s Office said it would continue to monitor the case in the civil and criminal spheres.