He has been called one of the best-known dictators of his time, and compared to authoritarian rulers such as Muammar Gaddafi and Augusto Pinochet. Noriega was known for his complicated relationship with the U.S., being described as being its ally and nemesis simultaneously. He relied upon military nationalism to maintain his support, and did not espouse a specific social or economic ideology. Noriega's authoritarian rule in Panama has been described as a dictatorship, and was marked by repression of the media, an expansion of the military, and the persecution of political opponents, effectively controlling the outcomes of any elections. Diagnosed with a brain tumor in March 2017, Noriega suffered complications during surgery, and died two months later. In 2011 France extradited him to Panama, where he was incarcerated for crimes committed during his rule, for which he had been tried and convicted in absentia in the 1990s. Noriega was extradited to France in 2010, where he was convicted and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment for money laundering. Noriega was captured and flown to the U.S., where he was tried on the Miami indictment, convicted on most of the charges, and sentenced to 40 years in prison, ultimately serving 17 years after a reduction in his sentence for good behavior. ![]() launched an invasion of Panama following failed negotiations seeking his resignation, and Noriega's annulment of the 1989 Panamanian general election. In 1988, Noriega was indicted by federal grand juries in Miami and Tampa on charges of racketeering, drug smuggling, and money laundering. Eventually his relationship with intelligence agencies in other countries came to light, and his involvement in drug trafficking was investigated further. deteriorated in the late 1980s after the murder of Hugo Spadafora and the resignation of President Nicolás Ardito Barletta. He also served as a conduit for illicit weapons, military equipment, and cash destined for U.S.-backed forces throughout Latin America. intelligence agencies, and became one of the Central Intelligence Agency's most valued intelligence sources. Beginning in the 1950s, Noriega worked with U.S. Noriega became chief of military intelligence in Torrijos's government, and after Torrijos's death in 1981, consolidated power to become Panama's de facto ruler in 1983. ![]() In 1968, Torrijos overthrew President Arnulfo Arias in a coup. ![]() He became an officer in the Panamanian army, and rose through the ranks in alliance with Omar Torrijos. invasion of Panama removed him from power.īorn in Panama City to a poor pardo family, Noriega studied at the Chorrillos Military School in Lima and at the School of the Americas. An authoritarian ruler who amassed a personal fortune through drug trafficking operations, he had longstanding ties to United States intelligence agencies before the U.S. Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno ( / m ɑː n ˈ w ɛ l n ɔːr i ˈ eɪ ɡ ə/ ( listen), mahn- WEL nor-ee- AY-gə Spanish pronunciation: February 11, 1934 – May 29, 2017) was a Panamanian dictator, politician and military officer who was the de facto ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989.
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