Kidnapping of Abílio dos Santos Diniz

In December 1989, Abílio dos Santos Diniz was the victim of a kidnapping, that took place on the day of the first Brazilian democratic presidential elections after a military dictatorship.

It was followed by an almost immediate police rescue that revealed that among the kidnappers were Chileans, Argentinians and Canadians David Spencer, a student at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and Christine Lamont, also a student at Simon Fraser University.

The candidates were Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, founding member of the Workers' Party (Partido dos trabalhadores - PT), and Fernando Collor de Mello, the right wing party candidate running for a newly formed National Reconstruction Party (Partido da reconstrução nacional - PRN). As there was a prohibition of any political party of talking to the media; television, radio or newspapers, on the days prior to election day, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's party had no opportunity to clarify the accusations that the party (PT) was involved in the kidnapping.

There is no evidence that the kidnapping of Abílio dos Santos Diniz was part of other kidnappings that occurred in Brazil, said to be executed by radical political groups. As the kidnapping occurred on presidential elections day, it had serious repercussions in the emerging democratic elections in the country that were taking place after the brutal military dictatorship that spread from 1964 to 1985.

The kidnapping took place in the morning of the Brazilian presidential election in Brazil in 1989 when the candidates were Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, founding member of the Workers' Party, and Fernando Collor de Mello, the right wing party candidate running for a newly formed National Reconstruction Party, backed by the richest man in Alagoas, senator João Lyra, who reportedly gave up to $16 million to help elect Collor.

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