Arstides De Sousa Mendes ni umudipolomate wo muri Portugal warenze ku mabwiriza y’inzego zimukuriye zanamutumye mu buhagararizi bw’igihugu cye i Bordeaux mu Bufaransa, maze arokora ibihumbi by’abayahudi ubwo abanazi babageraga amajanja, igituma kujyeza ubu abarwa nk’umuntu wambere ku isi warokoreye abantu benshi icyarimwe.
Ubwo intambara ya kabiri y’isi yari irimbanyije mu mwaka wa 1940, Abanazi bigaruriye ibice bitandukanye byo mu majyaruguru y’ubufaransa. Byabaye ngombwa ko Abayahudi bari muri ibyo bice bahungira mu bihugu bituranye n’ubufaransa ariko inzira yari ihari yari iyo kunyura mu Majyepfo y’ubufaransa, gusa byasabaga ko bagomba kubanza kubona impapuro z’inzira zibemerera kwinjira mu Portugal nk’inzira nziza yari kubafasha kwerekeza mu bindi bihugu kandi bizeye umutekano wabo.
Mu mu byigano mwinshi wabashakaga Visa hanze y’ibiro bya Mendes batakamba ngo bafashwe barebe ko barokora amagara yabo, Abayahudi n’abandi barimo Abarusiya ntabwo bari bemerewe guhabwa Visa, ariko mu kubinyuza mu mucyo, amategeko yari yavuye muri Portugal yavugaga ko nta mudiplomate n’umwe wemerewe gutanga Visa , ahubwo ko zari gutangwa na Leta ya Portugal ubwayo. Mu rwandiko rwanditseho italiki 13 Kamena 1940, De Sousa Mendes yandikiye abamukuriye agira ati” Aha ibintu byarushijeho kuba bibi cyane, ubu ndi mu gitanda kubera guta umutwe, ubwonko bwange bwarushye”
Amakuru yizewe avuga ko guhera taliki 12 Kamena kujyeza taliki 23 Kamena 1940, atigeze aruhuka kuko yategetse abo bakoranaga kumufasha gutanga Visa zose zishoboka. Umuhungu we yagize ati” Taliki 17 Kamena 1940 yahagaze mu idirishya ry’icyumba cye aravuga ati” ubu ntabwo turi bwongere gutanga Visa dushingiye ku cyo aricyo cyose, yaba ibara ry’uruhu, ubwenegihugu cyangwa imyemerere. Visa irahabwa buri wese uyishaka. Ntabwo nakwemera ko abantu bapfa.”
Mu minsi irenga 10 yamaze atanga Visa bivugwa ko Abayahudi barenga ibihumbi 30 babashije guhunga biturutse kuri izi Visa bahawe na Mendes.
Byarakaje abategetsi ba Portugal na cyane ko bavugaga ko batari bafite ubushobozi bwo kwakira izo mpunzi zose, maze muri Nyakanga 1940 Arstides De Sousa Mendes wari umaze imyaka igera kuri 30 ari umudiporomate ahamagazwa n’igihugu cye. Ajyeze muri Portugal yashinjijwe kurenga ku mategeko y’abamukuriye, ariko yiregura avuga ko ibyo yakoze byari ugutabara ubuzima bw’abantu nta kindi.
Mendez yahise yirukanwa mu kazi ndetse aranakomanyirizwa ku buryo nta kandi kazi kamufasha gutunga umuryango we yagombaga kongera kubona. Yari afite umuryango w’abana 15, maze Leta yanzura ko abo bana batagomba kwemererwa kwiga Kaminuza ndetse no kubona akazi mu mirimo ya Leta. Icyo byari bisobanuye ni uko nta nahandi hantu hafatika bagombaga kubona akazi muri Portugal, ibyatumye abaho ubuzima bwose yari asigaje mu bukene.
Mbere y’uko apfa mu mwaka wi 1954, Mendes yasabye abana be kuzarwana mu nzira zose zishoboka izina rye rigakurwaho icyasha ndetse isi ikamenya ukuri, ibyo barabiharaniye kujyeza ubwo bwambere mu mwaka wi 1966 Isarel yibutse ubutwari bwa Mendes ndetse inaha icyubahiro cyidasanzwe ibikorwa bye. Si ibyo gusa kuko mu wi 1986 Congire(Congress) ya Reta Z’unze Ubumwe z’America nayo yamwemeje nk’intwari.
Cyera kabaye nyuma y’imyaka 80 Mendes akoze igikorwa cy’ubutwari agahembwa kwirukanwa no gutindahazwa, mu mwaka wi 2020 Leta ya Portugal yahaye agaciro ibikorwa bye imwibuka nk’intwari ndetse inasaba umuryango we imbabazi.
Kujyeza ubu, izina rya Arstides De Sousa Mendes ryamaze gukurwaho icyasha ndetse, mu mwaka wi 2010 hafunguwe umuryango wamwitiriwe De Sousa Mendes Fondation washinzwe mu rwego rwo kumwibuka no gusigasira ibigwi bye.
