Octávio Pato

Octávio Floriano Rodrigues Pato (1 April 1925, Vila Franca de Xira – 19 February 1999) was a Portuguese communist leader.

Being a restless person, with an unusual working class feeling, he soon made contact with a group of intellectuals and artists of "neo-realismo" (the Portuguese wave of the socialist realism), such as Soeiro Pereira Gomes and Alves Redol that developed their political work in his home town, Vila Franca de Xira.

Still a teenager, he was an active voice in the organization of the vast wave of strikes that frightened the Portuguese Fascist regime, led by Oliveira Salazar, in 1944.

His brother Carlos was murdered in prison, along with Alfredo Dinis (Alex) and some other top members of the Communist Party at the time.

He endured 11 and then another 7 days standing sleepless (a usual torture method carried by the police[2]), suffered a syncope and near death experience.

Taken to court, Pato was defended by his long-time friend, the social-democrat Mário Soares (that would become the leader of the Socialist Party and President of Portugal).