Portugal | The leader of Carnation Revolution Otelo passed away – VIDEO

Defence Redefined

Published on 26/07/2021 at 10:31

Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, the leader of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, passed away yesterday at the age of 84 in a military hospital in Lisbon.

The almost bloodless Carnation Revolution ended the cold dictatorship of Salazar and Caetano on April 25, 1974. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Souza stressed the “primary importance” of Otelo de Carvalho in the fall of the dictatorship, describing him as “the leading protagonist at a decisive moment in the modern history of Portugal”.

 

 

The Prime Minister, Antonio Costa, honoured the memory of Otelo by praising his strategic ability, dedication and generosity that were catalytic for a “bloodless Carnation Revolution”.

Born in Mozambique in 1936, he enlisted in the army in the 1960s and twice claimed the presidency after the Carnation Revolution.

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In 1987, Otelo was sentenced to 15 years in prison as a moral perpetrator in far-left attacks and was later pardoned in 1996 for his involvement in a far-left terrorist organization which carried out several deadly attacks between 1980 and 1987.

In a statement, the Portuguese Communist Party said it “wants to praise his part in the April 25 movement”, adding that now is not the time to judge “his political course”.

Source: euronews.gr