Dictatorship-era official reappears in Paraguay
ASUNCION, Paraguay — A former dictatorship-era official considered a brutal torturer by human rights groups has made a surprise return to Paraguay, where he faces six pending trials for the disappearance and killings of government opponents in the 1970s and 1980s.
Minister Sabino Montanaro, who served as interior minister under ex-dictator Alfredo Stroessner, arrived in Asuncion early Friday after nearly two decades of self-imposed exile in Honduras, his lawyer said.
Attorney Luis Troche did not explain why Montanaro decided to return but painted a picture of an ailing, aged man coming back to his native land.
Montanaro, 86, suffers from a fractured hip, Parkinson’s disease, a form of pneumonia and arteriosclerosis, Troche said Monday.
Officials said Montanaro was being treated in a police hospital, but it was not clear whether he had been taken into custody.
Montanaro was interior minister for two decades under Stroessner. Human rights groups say the dictatorship was part of a regional network of right-wing military governments that abducted, tortured and “disappeared” thousands of suspected leftist dissidents during the so-called Dirty War.
Paraguayan human rights activist Luis Alfonso Resck called Montanaro a “a brutal torturer.”
When a military coup toppled the dictatorship in 1989, Montanaro sought refuge in the Honduran consulate in Asuncion. Days later he arrived in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, where he lived until last week.
His unexpected return could give Paraguay the chance to move forward with the pending prosecutions.
Judge Arnaldo Fleitas said Monday he had “ordered a psychiatric exam to determine (Montanaro’s) mental state — whether he is in condition to appear before the court in the six pending trials against him for the torture, disappearance and death of dissidents.”
The Paraguayan government also expressed irritation at Honduras for not alerting them to Montanaro’s travel plans, and said it was considering lodging a formal protest.
“Montanaro should not have been able to leave Honduras so easily holding a diplomatic passport that expired in 1997,” Foreign Minister Hector Lacognata told reporters Monday.
Paraguay sought for years to question Stroessner about “disappearances” during the dictatorship, but he died in exile in Brazil in 2006 at the age of 93 without facing trial.
Filed under Legal Proceedings | Tags: Asuncion, Brazil, Central America, Honduras, Latin America And Caribbean, Lt-paraguay-dirty-war, Paraguay, South America, Travel | Comment Below
Related?
Ark. evangelist accused of sex crimes against girls expected to face accusers in court hearingJuly 15th, 2009 Ark. evangelist's accusers expected in courtTEXARKANA, Ark. — A jailed Arkansas evangelist being tried on charges of sex crimes against young girls is expected to face some of his accusers in court.
Brazil drops decades-old press censorship lawMay 1st, 2009 BRASILIA - Brazil's Supreme Court struck down a press censorship law that had been on the books for 42 years and was one of the last vestiges of the 1964-1985 military regime. In a 7-4 decision, the court ruled Thursday that the law was unconstitutional and violated freedom of expression and said Congress could draft a new text if it deems it necessary.
2 ex-county employees plead guilty in corruption probe in OhioJuly 2nd, 2009 Guilty pleas in Ohio corruption probeCLEVELAND — Two former county government employees in Ohio pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges in an plot to bribe public officials with casino trips, expensive meals and limousine rides in return for steering contracts. Former Cuyahoga County engineer's office employees J.
Alabama man returns to Australia to face trial in death of wife during diving honeymoonMay 13th, 2009 Alabama man returns to Australia for murder trialBRISBANE, Australia — An American accused of drowning his wife during a honeymoon scuba diving trip to Australia's Great Barrier Reef was jailed Wednesday pending his trial for her alleged murder. David Gabriel Watson, 32, of Birmingham, Alabama, arrived in the northeastern city of Brisbane early Wednesday of his own volition, ending the possibility of protracted court proceedings to extradite him from the United States.
Defense likely to rest in federal sex-crimes trial of jailed evangelist Tony AlamoJuly 22nd, 2009 Defense may rest in evangelist's sex-crimes trialTEXARKANA, Ark. — Lawyers for evangelist Tony Alamo are close to wrapping up their defense in his federal sex crimes trial.
China executes 2 businessmen for defrauding investors out of more than $127 millionAugust 6th, 2009 China executes 2 men for defrauding investorsBEIJING — China executed two businessmen for defrauding hundreds of investors out of more than $127 million, calling the scam a serious blow to social stability, state media said Thursday. China puts to death more people than any other country, although last month a high official for the Supreme People's Court, which reviews every death sentence, said the punishment should be used more sparingly.
AP source: Indicted billionaire R. Allen Stanford en route to Texas on fraud chargesJune 23rd, 2009 AP source: Indicted billionaire headed to TexasWASHINGTON — Billionaire R. Allen Stanford was expected back in Texas on Tuesday to face federal charges he ran a $7 billion swindle with his international banking empire.
Woman says pastor asked, 'You think I'm a dirty old man?' as 9-year-old girl rubbed his thighsJuly 21st, 2009 Woman: Alamo asked, 'Think I'm a dirty old man?'TEXARKANA, Ark. — A former follower of evangelist Tony Alamo told federal jurors at his sex-crimes trial Monday that the preacher lashed out at her when she grimaced at the sight of a 9-year-old girl rubbing his thighs.
