Category Archives: Deaths

Very Quick Thoughts on Castro

Posted on November 26, 2016 by

Fidel Castro has died at 90 years of age. Obviously, a lot will be said in the coming days. Some will make him out to be one of the greatest monsters of history (with inevitable claims that he was “Cuba’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba, Deaths

RIP – Patricio Aylwin

Posted on April 19, 2016 by

Patricio Aylwin, the man who became the first democratically elected president of Chile after the end of the Pinochet regime in 1990, has died at the age of 97. As most people are, Aylwin was a complex figure. He had … Continue reading →

Posted in Chile, Deaths

Manuel Contreras, Head of Chile’s DINA, Dead at 86

Posted on August 8, 2015 by

Manuel Contreras, who headed the Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (National Intelligence Directorate, or DINA) from 1973-1977, some of the most repressive years of Augusto Pinochet’s regime, has died at the age of 86. As head of DINA, Contreras was directly responsible for … Continue reading →

Posted in Augusto Pinochet, Chile, Deaths, Human Rights Violations, The "Disappeared", Torture

RIP – José Ibrahim

Posted on May 3, 2013 by

José Ibrahim, a labor leader who was arrested for challenging Brazil’s military dictatorship in 1968 and who was the only labor leader to be released in 1969 in exchange for the US ambassador, has passed away at the age of … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Deaths, Labor in Latin America | 1 Comment

Margaret Thatcher Dead

Posted on April 8, 2013 by

Margaret Thatcher has died at 87. Obviously, British & diplomatic historians have more of her career to consider, but it’s not without it’s Latin American element. As others will also note, in 1982, the Argentine military dictatorship tried to finally … Continue reading →

Posted in Argentina, Deaths, Uncategorized

Around Latin America

Posted on March 18, 2013 by

-While many in the Americas celebrated the announcement of the first American pope last year, not all citizens (including Catholic clergy) in Francis I’s home country are pleased with Bergoglio or the Catholic hierarchy in Argentina. -It appears the long national … Continue reading →

Posted in "Baby Doc" Duvalier, Argentina, Argentina's Military Dictatorship (1976-1983), Around Latin America, Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Catholicism in the Americas, Chile, Cuba, Deaths, Democracy in the Americas, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, El Salvador's Civil War (1980-1992), Evangelicals in Latin America, Governance in Latin America, Guyana, Haiti, Human Rights Issues, Human Rights Violations, Indigenous Peoples, International Organizations, Latin America, Neoliberalism, Rafael Trujillo, Truth Commissions, Venezuela, Violence in the Americas, Weapons and Arms in Latin America, Women's Movements & Issues

RIP – Hugo Chávez

Posted on March 5, 2013 by

Hugo Chávez has died. Rumors had swirled around about his impending end for years, but it appears his cancer and its side-effects finally caught up with him. Suffice to say, uncertainties for Venezuela abound going forward. Nicolás Maduro will continue … Continue reading →

Posted in Deaths, Latin American Militaries, Latin American Politics, Venezuela

RIP – Oscar Niemeyer

Posted on December 5, 2012 by

Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, a key figure in 20th-century architecture, has died at 104. Rest in peace.

Posted in Brazil, Deaths

RIP – Maria Rosa Leite Guimarães

Posted on September 22, 2012 by

On Thursday, Maria Rosa Leite Guimarães, human rights activist and mother of Honestino Guimarães, a student leader and one of the many of the Brazilian dictatorship’s “disappeared” victims, passed away at the age of 84. A professor (like her husband) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Brasília, Brazil, Brazil's Military Dictatorship, Deaths, Human Rights Issues, Student Movements, The "Disappeared"

Around Latin America

Posted on August 6, 2012 by

-In a rare bit of good news, it appears the deforestation rate in the Amazon had once again dropped (though 2,049 square kilometers of deforestation is still a significant loss). -In Chile, a crackdown on Mapuche activists left at least … Continue reading →

Posted in Abortion, Argentina, Argentina's Military Dictatorship (1976-1983), Around Latin America, Brazil, Children's Rights, Chile, Colombia, Deaths, Drugs and the Drug Trade in the Americas, Honduras, Indigenous Peoples, Legal Issues in Latin America, LGBT Rights & Issues, Mexico, Peasant Movements, Police in the Americas, Prisoners' Rights, Protests in Latin America, The Amazon, Torture, Uruguay, Violence in the Americas, Women's Movements & Issues, Women's Rights