RIO DE JANEIRO — A Brazilian journalist’s family expressed gratitude on Wednesday as a court decision was announced to provide a monthly pension to his widow, a significant step in addressing the lingering wounds from Brazil’s military dictatorship that spanned from 1964 to 1985.

The federal court located in Brasilia mandated that the government must provide Clarice Herzog, aged 83, with a stipend exceeding 34,000 reais, approximately $6,000, for the remainder of her life. This ruling forms part of a larger initiative focused on reconciliation with the nation’s historical injustices.

Clarice’s ongoing quest for justice mirrors that of Eunice Paiva, the spouse of Rubens Paiva, a leftist politician who also fell victim to the military regime. Their story is portrayed in the acclaimed film “I’m Still Here,” which has been nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress, and has achieved notable commercial success.

In a recent development, hundreds of corrected death certificates have begun to be issued by Brazilian notaries for victims of the dictatorship, acknowledging that these deaths were not natural but rather state-sanctioned acts of violence, as reported by local media.

The Herzog family and the Vladimir Herzog Institute hailed this court ruling as a momentous achievement, referring to it as “an important milestone” in a released statement.

The assassination of Vladimir Herzog occurred nearly half a century ago on October 25, 1975. Given the current age and health issues of the plaintiff, the decision made on January 31 comes into immediate effect.

On the day Herzog died, he had willingly reported to a military barracks after being summoned. Attempts by the military to portray his death as a suicide, including releasing a photo depicting him hanging, ultimately backfired, turning the image into a powerful symbol of the regime’s cruelty.

The brutal murder of this prominent journalist, alongside the falsified narrative of suicide, incited one of the initial mass protests against the military government.

In 2018, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights condemned the Brazilian government for Herzog’s torture and killing, as well as for its failure to investigate or hold accountable those from the military dictatorship.

As a result of that ruling, the Brazilian government was ordered to provide financial compensation to Clarice Herzog. The Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship indicated that she had already received 100,000 reais, an amount that Rogerio Sottili, the executive director of the Vladimir Herzog Institute, described as merely “symbolic.”

Sottili emphasized that the prevailing message is that individuals can act with impunity without facing consequences.

In January, the Herzog family sought appropriate financial compensation, according to Sottili.

Nonetheless, the recent decision to award Herzog’s wife a regular payment “signals a step toward Brazil tackling its historical state violence,” Sottili commented in a phone interview from Sao Paulo.

The government holds the option to appeal this ruling. The ministry’s statement did not clarify whether an appeal would be pursued, but it did reference the previous payment made and acknowledged that the government’s amnesty commission had formally apologized to Clarice for the persecution she endured in her pursuit of justice.

In contrast to nations like Argentina and Chile, where truth commissions were established and former military leaders faced prosecution, Brazil’s shift back to democracy was accompanied by a broad amnesty for military figures.