The headquarters of the Departamento de Ordem Política e Social do Rio Grande do Sul (Department for Political and Social Order of Rio Grande do Sul, DOPS-RS) was a Brazilian clandestine torture and detention centre which operated in Porto Alegre city in Rio Grande do Sul state from 1964 to 1982.

The centre was housed in the building of the Secretariat for Public Security of Rio Grande do Sul, also known as the “Palácio da Policia” (Palace of the Police), on the corner of Ipiranga Avenue and João Pessoa Avenue.

The DOPS had been created in 1924 and the organism functioned as a governmental secret police force until it was dissolved between 1982 and 1983. Although the organism underwent some structural changes during its time, its basic mission remained the same to repress political dissidence, notably communists and anarchists, as well as trade unionists and social movements.

The 1964 coup d’état in Brazil was the first of a series of coups which brought a wave of dictatorships into power across the region under the framework of the national security doctrine. This context triggered the transformation of Brazil’s repressive structures.

The DOPS’ management and operational branches were militarised and the Serviço Nacional de Informações (National Information Service, SIN) was created, with the function of centralising and planning the repression. The Armed Forces kept their own intelligence services, which acted in coordination with the DOPS and the SIN.

The DOPS was present in each Brazilian state. Its regional bases in the states of Rio de Janeiro (situated in the homonymous capital) and Rio Grande do Sul (situated in the state capital, Porto Alegre) played a particularly significant role in Operation Condor’s repressive coordination.

On the second floor of the Porto Alegre building, the Uruguayan nationals, Universindo Rodríguez Díaz and Lilián Celiberti were detained in November 1978, along with Lilián’s two young children, Camilo and Francesca. After being tortured, they were secretly transferred to Uruguay.

Lilián had been captured at the bus station in Porto Alegre and Universindo and the children were kidnapped at the entrance of the apartment building where they were living. Journalists started to do some fact checking into Lilián’s whereabouts, which evolved into a public investigation into her capture. These journalists’ actions were fundamental for Lilián’s survival and for exposing the facts and those responsible.

At the end of 1978, the lawyer, Omar Ferri presented a criminal complaint before the courts in Porto Alegre relating to the kidnapping of the Uruguayans. Finally, on 3rd March 1979, a criminal investigation was opened at the Third Criminal Court of Porto Alegre. This led to the Brazilian police officer, Orandir Portassi Lucas being sentenced on appeal in 1981 for the abuse of authority.

Furthermore, on 24th March 1979, a parliamentary investigation was opened, which was known as the “Comissão Parlamentar de Inquérito” (“Parliamentary Enquiry Commission”). The initiative was driven by legislators from the opposition who belonged to the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul. 

On 23rd February 1984 in Uruguay- where the dictatorship remained in power- Lilián and Universindo denounced their kidnappings before the Uruguayan courts. Recently, in May 2018, the public prosecutor’s office which specialises in crimes against humanity ordered that four of the Uruguayan repressors who were involved in the operation be tried. The courts have still not released a verdict.

The DOPS branch in Rio Grande do Sul was the first of these regional offices to be dissolved, on 27th May 1982. The NGO, Proyecto Marcas de la Memoria de Brasil put up a commemorative plaque in the street opposite the building where the clandestine torture and detention centre had operated.