Order of Liberty

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Order of Liberty, or Freedom, (Portuguese: Ordem da Liberdade) is a Portuguese honorific civil order that distinguishes relevant services to the cause of democracy and freedom, in the defense of the values of civilization and human dignification. The order was created in 1976 after the Carnation Revolution of 1974 that deposed the quasi-fascist authoritarian Estado Novo regime of António de Oliveira Salazar and Marcello Caetano.

The order includes five classes; in decreasing order of seniority, these are:

• Grand Collar (Grande Colar - GColL)
• Grand Cross (Grã-Cruz - GCL)
• Grand Officer (Grande-Oficial - GOL)
• Commander (Comendador - ComL)
• Officer (Oficial - OL)
• Knight / Dame (Cavaleiro / Dama - CavL / DamL)

Like the other Portuguese orders, the title of Honorary Member (Membro Honorário - MHL) can be awarded to institutions and locals.