Ex-Paraguayan dictator Stroessner dies at 93

Paraguay had for years sought to question Stroessner about the abduction and disappearance of dissidents during his rule, but his asylum status made extradition impossible. Now his death has brought an end to lawsuits by his many victims, some 1,500 of whom were given compensation by the Duarte government for injuries suffered under the dictatorship.

"Today we should be celebrating with the death of Stroessner; unfortunately, he died with impunity," said Hugo Rubin, a journalist who was jailed in the 1980s by the regime. "He killed his opponents, robbed the State, exiled hundreds of countrymen, and to top it off, lived in tranquility in his exile in Brasilia."

Stroessner rigged his re-election every five years after he seized power, and while human rights violations increased, his name became synonymous with stability and progress in the landlocked country, which had been noted for stagnation and political turmoil.

Inescapable presence
His influence was everywhere in Paraguay. While he was in power, a huge neon sign in a central plaza of the capital blinked the message: "Stroessner: Peace, Work and Well-being."

By Stroessner's third decade in office, most Paraguayans had passed their entire lives under his watchful eyes, which stared from portraits on the walls of offices, shops and living rooms.

He had complete control over the press, as newspaper and radio transmitters were destroyed by police aligned with the Colorado Party and journalists were jailed and tortured. But public dissatisfaction with his regime became increasingly evident in the mid-1980s as the economy soured and inflation soared.

Protesters and police sometimes fought in the streets of Asuncion, unrest inconceivable a few years earlier.

A staunch U.S. ally, Stroessner was stung in 1986 when the administration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan put his regime on its list of Latin American dictatorships. Among the others was Nicaragua, whose Sandinista rebels overthrew his friend Somoza and then assassinated him in Paraguay.

A significant segment of the ruling Colorado Party, his main tool of political control, began to accuse him of dictatorial tactics, and many Paraguayans were quietly predicting his regime would collapse when Stroessner tried to consolidate his power in late 1988.

Military uprising
He ordered many military officers to retire, and tried to force out powerful army commander, Gen. Andres Rodriguez, closing the general's lucrative currency exchange business. Instead, Rodriguez rebelled on Feb. 2, 1989, sending soldiers and tanks to the presidential guard headquarters, where Stroessner had taken refuge. Stroessner surrendered and went into exile in Brazil, where he remained for the rest of his life.

In the Paraguayan capital, Stroessner's death met with indifference in the former "Alfredo Stroessner" neighborhood — rebaptized the San Pablo district after the dictator was overthrown.

"I don't know anything about Stroessner nor do I care to know," said Antonio Ortiz, 18, a student.

Stroessner died of a stroke at 11 a.m. in the Hospital Santa Luzia, said his grandson, Alfredo Dominguez Stroessner. He said his grandfather left no funeral instructions, but that the family was considering a burial in Encarnacion, where Stroessner was born on Nov. 3, 1912.

MORE FROM AMERICAS

Americas Section Front

Brazil judge: Boy must be returned to U.S. dad Report says 225,000 Haiti children work as slaves Slaying of drug war hero's family shocks Mexico Mexico City lawmakers OK gay marriage Colombia to Chavez: Santa, not ‘spy plane’ World Blog: Finally, Cuba celebrates with Kool Stepfather says needles were meant to kill boy Bus drivers fall victim to brutal Guatemalan gangs Americas Section Front   Add Americas headlines to your news reader: