Military dicratorship, the lool that defends capitalist exploitation and imperialist domination in Brazil, has Eduardo Merlino, contrade "Nicolau", a journalist and resolutionary militant, who was a member of the of munders and tortures that are the common fate of angone who raises their voice against the policies of Comrude Luiz Eduardo Merlino was arrested in Sao Paulo Bast 15th July by army men of Operation Bandit (OBAN: specialists in "hunting' On the 21st his corpse was returned to his family. He пой тетока со дус ттог татим то the regime and so had leen ravagely tortured antif hie died.
Luiz Eduardo da Rocha Merlino was 23 years old. He was boen on 18th October 1947 in Santos (Sab Paulo state), Before the military coup of 1964, he had taken part in the activities of the Popular Contre for Culture (CPC) at Santos; this was an organisation led by the National Union of Students (UNE). which was one of the channels through wlach the revolutionaries worked to politicise sectors of the population. Ftom 1965 he went to. Sao Paul and worked in joumalism Perst DE all on tomode Tonde 40 Horsdo de San Paulo) from 1965-66, then on Folha du Tarde from 1967-68 and Finally on formal do Bavio fom 1969-70. Luiz Eduanto Merlino took an active pact in all the asenblies and struggles of his profession, such as the demonstration against the anvest of journalists which fook pince in front of the military trihunal of Sao Paulo in April 1968, or the protest movements against he passing of the institutional Act No. 5 of Decembe 966. In this tast action he led the strike of the Folh de Tarde journalists In 1967 he was the inspirer of the weekly paper Amanta, which was published by the strong student acciation of the Sao Paulo Univenaty Arts Faculty. This paper, which was suppressed after a few issues, was not a student paper but a newsheet orientated to workers. Parallel to his journalesm, Luiz Eduardo Merlino spent a fot of time working in the student movement, especially in the student strong. hold of the Arts Faculty of Sao Paulo University, where he led the occupation during the rise in the mass student movement in 1968. Ass member of the Executive Committee of the Sao Paulo State Students Union (the clandestine LEE) led by Jose Diroeu, he attended the Thias Conference of the National L'nion of Studente (UNE) in 1968. He also workod on Grenio Teforma, the organ of the student association at the Arts Faculty of Sao Paulo University.
In 1969 he joined the Communist Workers Party (POC), where be was known. hy the pseudonym of "Nicolau". He first worked in the student sector of revolutionaries) during the netions against Rockefeller's visit in 1969. From the second term of that year he was in the Sao Paulo regions leadership of the POC, After Decmber 1969 De organised and lod one of the industrial bases of the organisation, in the industrial zone of San Paulo stale known as AHL. la triola formed bu thi lowas of 5. Andre, S. Bernardo and S. Caetano)
Comrade Nicolae was to be one of the leadersof the oppositon to the traditional leadership or che POC in the internal struggle of 1969-70. He fought against the heritage of propagandiam and opportunistic POLOR which it had originaled from. It was during this fight that he joined the Fourth International. His experience in the mass student novement and the workers" monement enabled him to contribute in an important way to the elaboration of a policy in the field of tactics and organisation that Caced the Bracilian workers movement, a field in which ti POC had failed. Along with comendes of the F.l. Ine centred the debate that he lod within the POC around live theses concerning tevolutionary war, the Brazlion workers movement, the question of the vanguard organisation in the present conditions in brazel, an analysis of the revolutionary loft sod th lactic of alliances that flowed from it and batly on the analysis of the international communist movensent and the building of the Revolutionary International hese theses changed considerably the concepts tha rere accepted tal then in the PCK He recently spent a low months in France and was present as an observer at the second Congress of the French section of the Fourch International, held in Rouent in May 1971held.
TETOmEKHES Aunerican revolution, the follow his example.
Лагин 7971 The Brasilian dictatorship devoted great efforts to capfuring comrade Nicolau and savagely murdered him after his arrest in Sao Paulo. Mervenury scum have killed a political cadre whose qualities of courage. combativity, devotion to the natlonal and social liberasoo or nis coantry and the осваны cause, they were right to fear. All those who knew of him, even his political opponents, recognised these qualitios, ao essential in order to carry out revolutionary struggle in the difficult conditions of Brazit today, He clearly saw the enormous problems that bad to be overcome. They caused him to say that the struggle of revolitionary Marxist militants in the present conjuncture in Beazil weat against the curreat, However, this made him even more determined and firm in the views be The Brazilian revolution has fost an irreplaceable fighter. The Fourth International has lost a militant who symbolises all that is best in the new generation of militants who bave some to Trotskyism during the time of the international upsurge in revolution opened up by the victories of the Cuban and Indo-Chinese However, the goriline of the Brazilian military dictatorship wocild be wiser not to teloice about this Intest exploit of Fascist-type repression that they have set up in the country. Even if reaction has gained a few points in its favour for the moment in Brazil, the ruling class and imperialism are faced with a threat that reaches beyond the presont border and whose extent covers the continent. This threat of the Latin anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist struggle, of alf the peuple of Latin America poses a serinus challenge do Latin American reaction. Today a courageous fighter has fallen, but he will hecome the banner for his successor and those who We will show our faith in Contrade Luiz Eduardo Merlino by continuing his struggle until victory. LONG LIVE THE LATIN AMERICAN REVOLUTION! LONG LIVE THE FOURTI INTERNATIONAL!
E, Pinheñro