Alfredo Stroessner: Difference between revisions

|image =[[File:CA2RMFFQ6BFJNPUFLBJA2SIXFA.jpg|thumb]]

|alias = The Last Dictator<br>Don Alfredo Stroessner<br>Colonel Trunk

|occupation = Dictator of Paraguay (1954 - 1989)

|crimes = [[War crimes]]<br>Political repression<br>[[Crimes against humanity]]<br>Mass [[murder]]<br>[[Kidnapping]]<br>[[Torture]]<br>[[Ethnic cleansing]]<br>[[Genocide]]<br>Human rights abuses<br>Drug trafficking<br>Adultery<br>[[Money laundering]]

|goals = Rule Paraguay for as long as possible (successful)<br>Eliminate communism in Paraguay (partially successful)

{{Quote|There just don't seem to be many dictators about nowadays. Certainly not here in South America, for these are the days of the generals. In most countries the military have got together and thrown out their strongmen. Argentina and [[Juan Velasco Alvarado|Peru]], Venezuela and the [[Rafael Trujillo|Dominican Republic]], [[Gustavo Rojas Pinilla|Colombia]] and Guatemala. They've all sent their dictators into exile to live near their numbered bank accounts. But not here. This is Paraguay, still firmly in the hands of the last of the hemisphere's old style dictators. A military despot who's ruled his little known land sternly and absolutely for 16 years. His Excellency, General of the armed forces Don Alfredo Stroessner, President of Paraguay - a man with power over life and death who's grip shows no sign of weakening, who remains the Last Dictator.|Introduction to the documentary ''The Last Dictator''.}}'''Alfredo Stroessner ''' (November 3^rd, 1912 - August 16^th, 2006) was a Paraguayan military officer and the country's president from 1954 to 1989. HIs rule was the 14^th longest ever by state leaders as well as the longest in South American history and second-longest among 20th-century Latin American leaders; only [[Fidel Castro]]'s tenure as leader of Cuba was longer.

Under Stroessner Paraguay was a leading participant in [[Operation Condor]], a campaign of [[state terrorism]] and security operations which were jointly conducted by the right-wing military governments of six Latin American countries (Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil). Human rights violations characteristic of those in other Latin American countries such as kidnapping, [[torture]], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_disappearance forced disappearance] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrajudicial_killing extrajudicial killing], were routine and systematic during the Stroessner regime. Following executions, many of the bodies of those killed by the regime were dumped in the Chaco or the Rio Paraguay. The discovery of the "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror_archives terror archives]" in 1992 in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambar%C3%A9 Lambaré] suburb of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asunci%C3%B3n Asunción], confirmed allegations of widespread human rights violations.

Under Stroessner, egregious human rights violations and acts of [[ethnic cleansing]] were committed against the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ache Ache] Indian population of Paraguay's eastern districts. The Ache Indians resided on land that was coveted by foreign multinationals and had resisted relocation attempts by the Paraguayan army. The government retaliated with massacres and forced many Ache into slavery. In 1974 the UN accused Paraguay of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery slavery] and [[genocide]]. During his regime Stroessner also sheltered many exiles including Nicaraguan dictator [[Anastasio Somoza Deybale]] and [[Nazi]] scientist [[Josef Mengele]].

[[Category:Evil vs Evil]]

[[Category:Anti-Semetic]]