Sergio Bermudes, defender of Clarice Herzog against the dictatorship, dies at 79.
The jurist played a historic role in representing Vladimir Herzog's widow in a lawsuit that held the state responsible for the journalist's death.
247 - Lawyer Sergio Bermudes, one of the most influential names in Brazilian law, died this Monday (27), at the age of 79, as a result of respiratory sepsis. He had been hospitalized for seven months and had been facing complications since contracting Covid-19 in 2020.
The information was released by columnist Mônica Bergamo, from Folha de S.Paulo. Bermudes, who dedicated almost five decades to law, built a career marked by great causes, notably those related to the defense of democracy and human rights.
In 1969, he founded the law firm Sergio Bermudes Advogados, which would become one of the largest in the country, with offices in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasília, and Belo Horizonte, and more than 130 lawyers.
Among the most emblematic cases in his career is the defense of Clarice Herzog, widow of journalist Vladimir Herzog, who was murdered in 1975 in the DOI-Codi facilities during the military dictatorship. Bermudes was the lawyer responsible for the legal action against the Brazilian government, which resulted in the official recognition that the journalist died in the custody of the Brazilian state. The decision represented a historical milestone in the fight for justice and in holding the military regime accountable for crimes of human rights violations.
In addition to his work in the courts, Bermudes was an important figure in academia. He taught from 1970 at PUC-Rio, the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj), and the Brazilian Faculty of Legal Sciences, training generations of lawyers. In 1985, he was part of the commission that revised the Code of Civil Procedure, contributing to the modernization of Brazilian legislation. He also served as a judge on the Regional Electoral Court of Rio de Janeiro (TRE-RJ).
In March 2025, the jurist was honored by the British consultancy Chambers and Partners, which recognized his contribution to the advancement of law in Brazil and his role in the training of new professionals.
