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The granddaughter of late Portuguese military officer Arthur Carlos Barros Basto, known as the “Portuguese Dreyfus” after he was stripped of his rank and pension just before World War II in a case driven by antisemitic discrimination, has filed a complaint at the European Court of Human Rights, the Jewish Community of Oporto announced last week.
Isabel Barros Lopes, the vice president of the Jewish Community of Oporto, is seeking a posthumous reinstatement for her grandfather, who passed away in 1961, and an official apology from Portugal.
Lopes has been seeking justice for her grandfather since 2011, but has been thwarted by apparent obstinacy on the part of the Portuguese government.
“We have given the Portuguese authorities ample opportunities to do the right thing, so now we must take our official plea to the European Court of Human Rights,” Lopes said.
Lopes’ complaint argues that Portugal has violated Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Right, which guarantees “a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law.”
A decorated World War I veteran, Captain Arthur Carlos Barros Basto was dismissed by the Disciplinary Board of the Army for facilitating Jewish circumcision ceremonies, which were considered “immoral” act by Portugal’s ruling Catholic authorities at the time.
The case was noted for its similarities to the persecution famously endured by French Army Captain Alfred Dreyfus four decades earlier.
For more information on the case: ‘Portuguese Dreyfus’ Case Heads to European Court
To learn about the Jewish Community of Oporto:’10 Years Ago There Was Nothing and Now There Is Everything’ — A Conversation With the Head of Oporto’s Growing Jewish Community
