207:
middle of April 1962. For some of the time she was subjected to sleep deprivation as a form of torture. Interviewed later in her life she stated that she managed to stick to her determination to deny knowledge of the planned assault in Beja while at the same time indicating her full support for the overthrow of the Estado Novo. She repeated over and over again, “I did not participate in either the preparation or the assault on the Beja
Barracks, but I am heart and soul with my husband and his companions”. For most of her imprisonment she was held in
481:
211:, together with many well-known members of the Portuguese communist party. However, she never, herself, joined any political party. She was released from prison in 1964 after eighteen months but, following a trial in 1964, her husband was sentenced to six years. After being released she joined the Patriotic Front for National Liberation, working with the future President of Portugal
143:
who contributed significantly to the development of her political ideas. He had started out as a supporter of the dictatorship and was elected to the
National Assembly, but later became increasingly uncomfortable due to his commitment to combating poverty. She took his side, unsuccessfully, when the
206:
in an attack supported by
Humberto Delgado. The attack was repelled and Delgado went into exile. Among the attackers injured was Varela Gomes’ husband. A few days later she was arrested by the PIDE, not knowing at the time whether her husband was alive, and held in prison in isolation until the
132:, living in the house that subsequently became the Cascais Municipal Library. After completing school, she enrolled in a technical college in 1940 but only stayed there for six months. In 1942 she entered Portugal's Social Services Institute and received lessons from Father
243:- CNSPP). In 1970 she was again arrested; this time only for a week. In 1973 during the campaign for the National Assembly election she was brutally beaten by the police in front of her younger daughter. Following the
170:
in 1951 and they had four children, two girls and two boys. He was also very active in the opposition to the dictatorship. In 1956 she was appointed as Head of Social
Services at
128:, Portugal on 18 December 1925. Her father and grandfather were soldiers, her grandfather being a General. She had six brothers. When she was four, the family moved to
524:
519:
116:
in the 20th century. She was twice held in prison. Her work with the poor and to assist political prisoners led to her becoming known as “mother courage”.
294:
Varela Gomes died on 27 November 2016 at the age of 90. She was survived by her husband and their two daughters, the sons both having pre-deceased her.
251:
on 25 April 1974, she worked with lawyers and the CNSPP to secure the immediate release of all political prisoners. As a result of the overthrow of the
287:, to join her husband who had sought asylum there following the issue of a warrant for his arrest. After a coup in Angola in 1976 the couple moved to
432:
378:
276:
514:
465:
406:
352:
194:. She was investigated but not arrested and subsequently closely monitored the trial and imprisonment of some of those involved.
148:
wanted to remove him from his position in the institute. Her initial work experience as a social worker included a posting at a
145:
231:
magazine, being unable to take up a
Government job. She also went to Paris for an FPLN meeting attended by Jorge Sampaio,
227:(FPLN – Portuguese Front for National Liberation), which had been set up by Delgado. The following year she worked at the
178:, now the city's largest hospital, but was forced to leave after two years because of her political stance against the
255:
she was offered compensation for the jobs she lost because of her political beliefs. Despite being poor, she refused.
318:
264:
171:
239:, and others. In 1969 she was a co-founder of the National Commission for Relief for Political Prisoners (
208:
107:
160:
186:
in the 1958 Presidential elections. In March 1959 she was involved with the failed coup, known as the
509:
504:
244:
156:
and in the Bairro da
Boavista, a newly constructed area of Lisbon populated mainly by the very poor.
133:
165:
461:
236:
232:
183:
486:
149:
379:"Beja: First of January, pass today 54 years on the assault on the barracks. Jan 1, 2016"
203:
498:
212:
275:
in
Portugal), which was an attempt by Portuguese left-wing activists to replace the
202:
On New Year's Eve 1961 about 20 soldiers and civilians stormed the army barracks at
456:Álvaro de Vasconcelos and Maria João Seabra (eds.); Francisco Seixas da Costa... .
291:. They returned to Portugal in 1979 as a result of an amnesty for her husband.
138:
476:
288:
280:
125:
113:
50:
46:
129:
284:
175:
153:
407:"Morreu Maria Eugénia Varela Gomes, a "mãe coragem" do antifascismo"
433:"Maria Eugénia Varela Gomes, uma lutadora sem limites (1925-2016)"
223:
In 1967 Varela Gomes visited London for contacts with the exiled
191:
16:
Anti-government campaigner and political prisoner in
Portugal
190:, which was frustrated by the Portuguese secret police, the
124:
She was born as Maria Eugénia de
Bilnstein Sequeira in
106:(1925-2016) was a campaigner against the authoritarian
159:Maria Varela Gomes married Captain (later Colonel)
89:
81:
73:
57:
28:
21:
241:Conselho Nacional de Socorro aos Presos Políticos
182:. She campaigned actively for the candidature of
353:"Maria Eugénia Varela Gomes – Dados Biográficos"
269:
8:
401:
399:
347:
345:
343:
341:
339:
18:
225:Frente Portuguesa de Libertação Nacional
303:
313:
311:
309:
307:
7:
525:Prisoners and detainees of Portugal
319:"Morreu Maria Eugénia Varela Gomes"
33:Maria Eugénia de Bilnstein Sequeira
520:Portuguese prisoners and detainees
277:Portuguese transition to democracy
14:
479:
97:Government; Political prisoner
1:
460:. Cascais: Principia, 2000;
267:(usually referred to as the
93:Opposition to authoritarian
146:António de Oliveira Salazar
541:
458:Portugal: A European Story
104:Maria Eugénia Varela Gomes
23:Maria Eugénia Varela Gomes
515:Portuguese anti-fascists
283:, Varela Gomes left for
265:Coup of 25 November 1975
270:
263:Following the failed
259:Angola and Mozambique
144:Portuguese dictator,
247:, which deposed the
245:Carnation Revolution
172:Santa Maria hospital
377:Correia, Teixeira.
357:Caminhos da Memória
161:João Varela Gomes
466:972-8500-32-7date
101:
100:
532:
489:
484:
483:
482:
469:
454:
448:
447:
445:
443:
428:
422:
421:
419:
417:
403:
394:
393:
391:
389:
383:Lidador Noticias
374:
368:
367:
365:
363:
349:
334:
333:
331:
329:
315:
273:
219:Later activities
184:Humberto Delgado
169:
142:
64:
61:27 November 2016
43:18 December 1925
42:
40:
19:
540:
539:
535:
534:
533:
531:
530:
529:
495:
494:
493:
492:
487:Portugal portal
485:
480:
478:
473:
472:
455:
451:
441:
439:
430:
429:
425:
415:
413:
405:
404:
397:
387:
385:
376:
375:
371:
361:
359:
351:
350:
337:
327:
325:
317:
316:
305:
300:
261:
221:
200:
163:
136:
122:
69:
66:
62:
53:
44:
38:
36:
35:
34:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
538:
536:
528:
527:
522:
517:
512:
507:
497:
496:
491:
490:
475:
474:
471:
470:
449:
423:
395:
369:
335:
302:
301:
299:
296:
271:25 de Novembro
260:
257:
237:Virgínia Moura
220:
217:
199:
196:
121:
118:
112:government in
99:
98:
91:
90:Known for
87:
86:
83:
79:
78:
75:
71:
70:
67:
65:(aged 90)
59:
55:
54:
45:
32:
30:
26:
25:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
537:
526:
523:
521:
518:
516:
513:
511:
508:
506:
503:
502:
500:
488:
477:
468:=January 2016
467:
463:
459:
453:
450:
438:
434:
431:Neto, Dulce.
427:
424:
412:
408:
402:
400:
396:
384:
380:
373:
370:
358:
354:
348:
346:
344:
342:
340:
336:
324:
320:
314:
312:
310:
308:
304:
297:
295:
292:
290:
286:
282:
279:in favour of
278:
274:
272:
266:
258:
256:
254:
250:
246:
242:
238:
234:
233:Álvaro Cunhal
230:
226:
218:
216:
214:
213:Jorge Sampaio
210:
209:Caxias prison
205:
197:
195:
193:
189:
188:Revolta da Sé
185:
181:
177:
173:
167:
162:
157:
155:
151:
147:
140:
135:
131:
127:
119:
117:
115:
111:
110:
105:
96:
92:
88:
85:Social worker
84:
80:
76:
72:
60:
56:
52:
48:
31:
27:
20:
457:
452:
440:. Retrieved
436:
426:
414:. Retrieved
410:
386:. Retrieved
382:
372:
360:. Retrieved
356:
326:. Retrieved
322:
293:
268:
262:
252:
248:
240:
228:
224:
222:
201:
187:
179:
158:
123:
108:
103:
102:
94:
63:(2016-11-27)
510:2016 deaths
505:1925 births
253:Estado Novo
249:Estado Novo
180:Estado Novo
164: [
152:factory in
137: [
134:Abel Varzim
109:Estado Novo
95:Estado Novo
74:Nationality
499:Categories
411:Observador
298:References
289:Mozambique
229:Seara Nova
120:Early life
82:Occupation
77:Portuguese
39:1925-12-18
281:Communism
114:Portugal
51:Portugal
442:10 June
416:10 June
388:10 June
362:10 June
328:10 June
130:Cascais
464:
437:Sábado
285:Angola
198:Arrest
176:Lisbon
154:Seixal
68:Lisbon
168:]
141:]
126:Évora
47:Évora
462:ISBN
444:2020
418:2020
390:2020
364:2020
330:2020
204:Beja
192:PIDE
150:cork
58:Died
29:Born
323:RTP
174:in
501::
435:.
409:.
398:^
381:.
355:.
338:^
321:.
306:^
235:,
215:.
166:pt
139:pt
49:,
446:.
420:.
392:.
366:.
332:.
41:)
37:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.