Portugal honours hero diplomat who saved thousands of Jews

FILE PHOTO: Participants pass a card with words 'Never again, always remember' during the annual "March of the Living" to commemorate the Holocaust at the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, in Brzezinka near Oswiecim, Poland, May 2, 2019. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal paid tribute on Tuesday to former diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who defied the Salazar dictatorship to issue visas to tens of thousands of Jews and other refugees, saving them from the horrors of Nazi concentration camps.

To honour him, a stone plaque was placed on the walls of the National Pantheon in Lisbon, which houses the tombs of major personalities from well-known fado singer Amalia Rodrigues to footballer Eusebio.