Napoleon Ortigoza
Modesto Napoleón Ortigoza Gómez (born February 12, 1932 in Atyrá , Cordillera , Paraguay ; † January 17, 2006 in Asunción ) was an officer and witness of Alfredo Stroessner's dictatorship from 1954 to 1989 . He is known as the " Nelson Mandela of Paraguay" because he was innocently imprisoned as a political prisoner for about 25 years.
Life
Ortigoza joined the Paraguayan armed forces in 1949 , did well in training and soon became captain of the cavalry . He was arrested in December 1962 , allegedly because he was alleged to have prepared a conspiracy against President Stroessner. He was charged with murdering a cadet (officer candidate) who noticed the conspiracy. He was tortured in prison. Eventually Ortigoza was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Presumably the public commitment of the Franciscan Father Josué Arketa ensured that he was not sentenced to death . He spent much of his detention in isolation in a solitary cell.
In 1987, shortly before a visit by Pope John Paul II , Ortigoza was released and placed under a kind of house arrest. He escaped from Paraguay via the Colombian embassy and lived in Madrid until he returned in 1990 after Stroessner was overthrown.
Ortigoza was fully acquitted in 1996 by the Paraguayan Supreme Court. The confession used to convict him was found to have been extorted through torture. He received a large amount of compensation. In the last years of his life he reported on the human rights violations in Paraguay by the Stroessner dictatorship, especially in schools.
Napoleón Ortigoza died on January 17, 2006 at the age of 73 as a result of a heart attack.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ortigoza, Napoleón |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gómez, Modesto Napoleón Ortigoza (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Paraguayan officer and political prisoner |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 12, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Atyrá , Paraguay |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 17, 2006 |
| Place of death | Asunción |