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Brazil: Gay Activist Dies as Result of Police Beating
04/01/1995

Cláudio Orlando dos Santos, AIDS activist and president of Associacao en Defensa dos Dereitos Homosexuais (ADDEH), died in a hospital on 3 November 1994, as a result of beatings at the hands of the Military Police of the State of Santa Catarina. His advanced HIV disease contributed to his death.

Cláudio Orlando dos Santos was accosted by the Military Police on the evening of 24 May 1994, while distributing condoms donated by the Santa Catarina Health Secretariat. When the police harassed him and threatened him with imprisonment, he responded by telephoning their headquarters to report the intimidation. On learning that he had done so, the military police proceeded to kick and beat him. They then handcuffed him, took him to the police station, and beat him again. Following this incident, Dos Santos filed official complaints with the civilian police and the Santa Catarina Lawyers Association.

IGLHRC has not yet recieved any word of a response from the official complaints filed by Cláudio Orlando dos Santos.