Priest tells jail story

Press, 10 June 1977, Page 5

Priest tells jail story

NZPA • Reuter Recife (Brazil) '1 President Carter’s wife,,] Rosalynn. trying to patch; strained relations with Bra-J zil. focussed attention on al-, leged human-rights viola-;] tions in Recife in a dramatic! 1 meeting with two American; 1 missionaries held in-|l communicado for three days.'] The meeting took place!less than 24 hours after Mrsi Carter had talks aboutii human rights with the Bra-I’ zilian President (General Er-;’ nesto Geisel). I The missionaries told Mrs!Carter that they were locked < up without any clothes in ay small cell jammed with;’ other naked men. Mrs Carter, on her first!' foreign assignment as herli

husband’s good-will ambassador, said she sympathised with them and was (taking a message back to the United States President. She stood briefly with the 'two men in the garden of I the American consulate-gen-jeral here as armed Brazilian police and Government security agents pressed against [the fence. The two — the Rev Lawfence Rosebaugh, a Roman (Catholic priest, and Mr Thomas Capuano, a Protestant Mennonite missionary — described in graphic detail the conditions under which they were held. Men were beaten like cattle, Mr Rosebaugh, who is 42, said.; !Mr Capuano, who is 24,! isaid. “I felt myself being!

turned into an animal.” The two missionaries were ; picked up by two policemen > as they were collecting fruit and vegetables to distribute ■ to the poor of the north-east ' Pernambuco province of Bra- • zil on May 15. They were i released on May 18 after • protests from the United t States Consul-General (Mr Marvin Hoffenberg). They had been accused of i being communists and sub- • versives. The two policemen ■ who arrested them are now r themselves detained while : the Governor of Pernambuco ■ investigates the case. i But the two missionaries -!want an independent inquiry .land said that they had ,! passed this on to Mrs Carter.