Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
29 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
29 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
29 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
29 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Brazil Recife 'Monument Tortura Nunca Mais' ('Torture Never Again')
AO Edited

'Monument Tortura Nunca Mais' ('Torture Never Again')

This haunting sculpture stands as a memorial to the torture victims of the Brazilian military dictatorship.

Recife, Brazil

Added By
Mictlān Tēcutli
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Tortura Nunca Mais   marcusrg/CC BY 2.0
Tortura Nunca Mais   marcusrg/CC BY 2.0
Monument Tortura nunca Mais   Getty Images/Alexandre Vallejos
  Visit Recife
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In the center of the city of Recife on the banks of the Capibaribe river stands a haunting sculpture that depicts a man undergoing excruciating torture. This sculpture was created by the artist and architect Demetrio Albuquerque and serves as a memorial to the victims of torture and oppression of the three-decade-long Brazilian military dictatorship. 

It is estimated that over 20,000 people were tortured by the military and secret police agencies (the ABIN and the SNI) during the decades of the Brazilian dictatorship (1964-1985). Many of those tortured were activists involved in fighting the dictatorship through acts of armed or non-violent resistance. People could be arrested and subjected to hours, days, weeks, or months of torture for as little as having been heard criticizing the regime.

The Brazilian military and secret police were trained extensively in methods of interrogation and torture primarily by the CIA both in Brazil and abroad in the notorious "School of the Americas" in Panama (a U.S. Army training center) and then in the United States at Fort Benning in Georgia.

CIA and US military instructors taught Brazilian students the horrific techniques that had been observed to have had the most "success" in breaking down the psychological resistance of prisoners captured in wars such as Korea and Vietnam. Advisors from the U.K. military also traveled to Brazil on several occasions in order to conduct seminars and training workshops to impart "knowledge" that had been gained from the psychological torture of IRA prisoners in the Northern Irish conflict. 

The terrifying torture methods that were used on prisoners included but were not limited to sleep and sensory deprivation, starvation, rape and sexual abuse, electrocution, beatings, the burning of cigarettes on skin and even the insertion of starved rats into orifices. The most common method of torture was the pau-de-arara ("the wood of the macaw"), which involved suspending someone tied by their wrists and the back of their knees from a horizontal metal pole for days while they were physically beaten.

The sculpture Monument Tortura Nunca Mais (Torture No More) portrays one of the many thousands of victims of the dictatorship who is being tortured on the "pau-de-arara" for his opposition to the regime.

Related Tags

Dictators Sculptures Torture Memorials Monuments

Know Before You Go

The sculpture can be seen for free and is found on the Rua de Aurora street. 

Community Contributors

Added By

Monsieur Mictlan

Edited By

cjklever, Michelle Cassidy

  • cjklever
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

November 30, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://visit.recife.br/en/o-que-fazer/atracoes/monumento-tortura-nunca-mais
'Monument Tortura Nunca Mais' ('Torture Never Again')
R. da Aurora, 35
Boa Vista
Recife, 50030-230
Brazil
-8.056432, -34.877716
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Ricardo Brennand Institute

Recife, Brazil

miles away

Francisco Brennand's Ceramic Workshop

Recife, Brazil

miles away

Cabedelo’s Bus-Boats

Cabedelo, Brazil

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Recife

Recife

Brazil

Places 3

Nearby Places

Ricardo Brennand Institute

Recife, Brazil

miles away

Francisco Brennand's Ceramic Workshop

Recife, Brazil

miles away

Cabedelo’s Bus-Boats

Cabedelo, Brazil

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Recife

Recife

Brazil

Places 3

Related Places

  • The plaque outside explaining the site’s history

    Santiago, Chile

    Londres 38

    The site of detentions and torture under the Pinochet regime in Chile is now a memorial.

  • Jūroku Rakan Iwa

    Yuza, Japan

    Jūroku Rakan Iwa

    Buddha figures are carved into volcanic rocks on the seashore of Yamagara Prefecture.

  • Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    'The Constellation'

    This massive piece of artwork weighs more than 250 tons, and was designed as a tribute to the first president of the United Arab Emirates.

  • The Miner’s Stone

    Wallyford, Scotland

    Wallyford 'Miner's Stone'

    This carved memorial is dedicated to the miners who died working in the town's collieries.

  • A Conversation with Oscar Wilde.

    London, England

    'A Conversation With Oscar Wilde'

    An unusual ode to the late Irish playwright, complete with a squiggly bust and coffin-shaped bench.

  • The Prussian National Monument for the Liberation Wars in Berlin.

    Berlin, Germany

    Prussian National Monument for the Liberation Wars

    A towering monument to war, located on a beautifully peaceful hill.

  • Kindred Spirits sculpture.

    Cork, Ireland

    'Kindred Spirits' Sculpture

    A tribute to the incredible generosity the Choctaw Nation showed the Irish people during the Great Famine.

  • Monument to Antonio Canova.

    Venice, Italy

    Tomb of Antonio Canova

    A sinister pyramid in the Frari contains the heart of the famous neoclassical sculptor.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.