Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho

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Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho (August 31, 1936 – July 25, 2021) was a Portuguese military officer who helped plan and lead the 1974 Carnation Revolution, which ended the dictatorship in Portugal. He was born in Lourenço Marques, Mozambique (now Maputo) and joined the Portuguese Army in 1955. He served in the colonial wars in Africa, including Angola and Guinea-Bissau.

During the revolution, Otelo was a key strategist and later led COPCON, the military command responsible for keeping order and guiding the revolutionary process in Portugal. He played a prominent role in the days of the MFA (Movement of the Armed Forces) and, in 1976, ran for president, finishing second with strong support from the far left.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Otelo helped form radical left groups that supported armed action. He led FP-25 de Abril (Popular Forces 25 of April) and its broader movement, which carried out attacks that caused several deaths. He was arrested in 1984 and sentenced in 1985 for his leadership role, but was released in 1989 after serving part of his sentence. In the following years, Parliament approved amnesty for many political offenses from that era.

Otelo remained a controversial figure in Portuguese politics: admired by some as a liberator who helped bring democracy to Portugal, and hated by others who viewed him as someone who used violence to try to seize power. He died in Lisbon on July 25, 2021, at the age of 84. He was married to Dina Afonso Alambre and had three children; during imprisonment he was also linked to Maria Filomena Morais. His legacy continues to spark debate about Portugal’s transition to democracy.