The president of the (Superior Military Court), said this Tuesday (4) that she knows the history of the (1964-1985) well and that she does not accept what was used by one of her court colleagues last week.
The speech was directed to the minister, Major General of the Air Force. Last Thursday (30), he did so after the minister apologized to victims of the dictatorship.
In one of the excerpts of his speech, Oliveira insinuated that the president of the court should “study a little more about the history of the court to give an opinion on the situation in the historical period.”
In response at the opening of the STM trial session this Tuesday, Elizabeth said she would not accept disrespect.
“Of course, the divergence of ideas is legitimate. What is not legitimate is the misogynistic tone, disguised as paternalistic advice about ‘studying a little more’ the history of the institution, adopted by the interlocutor”, he said.
“An institution that I have been part of for almost two decades and I know well. This disrespectful aggression does not just affect this judge; it affects the female judiciary as a whole, to whom I owe respect and protection”, he added.
The president of the STM said that she knows the history of the military dictatorship and the military court well. “A well-cataloged memory, where there is no doubt about its contours,” he said.
Elizabeth clarified that the request for pardon was made in the first person, in her capacity as president of the Superior Military Court, and not in the name of all the ministers and judges who make up the Union’s Military Justice.
She also stated that she “would never have anything to say” on Oliveira’s behalf. “The attempt to expand the scope of my words demonstrates a pretext for a personal attack,” he said.
The minister concluded her speech by saying that the fact of being the first woman to preside over the Superior Military Court in 217 years of history reveals the “mark of rupture in one of the institutions historically dominated by men, with hierarchical structures permeated by patriarchal values”.
Elizabeth’s speech resulted in a debate among the ministers. Oliveira reaffirmed his disagreement with the minister’s speech and said that he did not give her delegation to speak on his behalf.
He also criticized being called a misogynist and said that his criticisms of the minister’s speeches are shared among other ministers. Oliveira also suggested a closed meeting between STM members to resolve the controversy.
The dispute arose after Maria Elizabeth gave a two-minute speech last Saturday (25), at the Sé Cathedral, in São Paulo, in memory of the journalist — murdered 50 years ago by .
“I am present at this ecumenical act of 2025 to, as president of the Military Justice of the Union, ask for forgiveness from all who fell and suffered fighting for freedom in Brazil”, said Elizabeth at the beginning of her speech.
The entire audience that attended the ecumenical act stood up to applaud the president of the STM. The broadcast of the event cut Elizabeth’s image and showed, in the audience, former minister José Dirceu endorsing the speech.
The minister of the military court continued her speech asking for forgiveness for the “judicial errors and omissions committed during the dictatorship” and cited some of the victims of murder and torture: Herzog, , , and , among others.
