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Ex-dictator of Paraguay dies in exile

12:41 H | Topics: Paraguay - Politics

Unlike his friend Pinochet, Alfredo Stroessner's day has come. The ex-dictator of Paraguay has died at the age of 93 in exile in Brazil after a month in the hospital.

Unlike other controversial Latin American dictators, Stroessner has kept a relatively low profile since his exile in 1989. From 20 Minutos:

Stroessner was born in Encarnación, in Southern Paraguay, November 3, 1912, and resided in Brasilia since two days after his defeat on February 3, 1989.

The dictatorship he led for nearly 25 years concluded that day, when a coup de etat led by the now deceased general Andrés Rodríguez, then commander of the cavalry and in-law of Stroessner, was triumphant.

Rodríguez was de facto president for one month and then called for elections, from which he emerged as constitutional Head of State.

He remained in the government until 1993, when he was succeeded by Juan Carlos Wasmosy, the first civilian to govern Paraguay in 40 years.

During this exile in Brasilia, Stroessner strictly respected the silence imposed upon him by Brasilian authorities in exchange for offering him asylum and lived in absolute discretion.

Despite repeated attempts to have Stroessner extradited to his native country, Paraguayan authorities were unsuccessful in removing him from Brazil.

Via / 20 Minutos

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