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. (Globo is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro but broadcasts throughout Brazil). The name "Tim Lopes" became well known in Brazil, particularly in Rio, when the media reported him missing while working undercover on a story in one of Rio's favelas (slum or shantytown). 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 placed within tires, covered in gasoline and set on fire – a practice that traffickers have dubbed microonda (microwave).
The details of Lopes' death received substantial attention in Brazil's media because of the barbarity of the crime and due to it highlighting the existence, particularly at that time, of poder paralelo (parallel power) within Rio – meaning criminals controlling certain areas of the city with impunity.
Read more about Tim Lopes: Early Life, Investigative Journalist, Personal Life, Kidnapping, Torture, Investigation, Traffickers Involved, Aftermath, Police Invade Vila Cruzeiro and The Complexo, UPPs Established, Documentary Films, Posthumous Human Rights Award