Tim Lopes (journalist)

This article is about the investigative journalist. For other people named Tim Lopes, see Tim Lopes.

Tim Lopes
Brazilian investigative journalist Tim Lopes
Born
Arcanjo Antonino Lopes do Nascimento

(1950-11-18)November 18, 1950
Pelotas, Brazil
DiedJune 2, 2002(2002-06-02) (aged 51)
Favela da Grota, Complexo do Alemão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Cause of deathAssassination
OccupationInvestigative journalist
Known forIn-depth features about people and culture of Rio de Janeiro

Tim Lopes (born Arcanjo Antonino Lopes do Nascimento; November 18, 1950 – June 2, 2002) was a Brazilian investigative journalist and producer for the Brazilian television network Rede Globo. In 2002, the media reported him missing while working undercover on a story in one of Rio's favelas. It was later learned that Lopes had been accosted by drug traffickers who controlled the area, was kidnapped, driven to the top of a neighboring favela in the trunk of a car, tied to a tree and subjected to a mock trial, tortured by having his hands, arms, and legs severed with a sword while still alive, and then had his body necklaced—a practice that traffickers have dubbed micro-ondas[1][2] (in allusion to the microwave oven).[3]

The details of Lopes's death received substantial attention in Brazil's media because of the barbarity of the crime and due to it highlighting the existence of poder paralelo (parallel power) within Rio—meaning criminals controlling areas of the city with impunity.

  1. ^ Fábio Grellet (May 24, 2010). "Autorizado a visitar família, condenado por morte de Tim Lopes foge da prisão" (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Folha de S. Paulo. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  2. ^ O Globo (September 18, 2008). "Polícia encontra 4 corpos que seriam de traficantes queimados com pneus" (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Federação Nacional dos Policiais Federais. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  3. ^ "micro-ondas". WordReference. Retrieved July 6, 2013.