PARAGUAY: Former Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner, a strongly anti-communist general who epitomised an era of authoritarian rule in Latin America, died yesterday in exile in Brasilia.
Stroessner (93) had lived in Brazil since he was toppled in a 1989 military coup after ruling Paraguay for 34 years.
The son of a German immigrant and a Paraguayan peasant, he had been in intensive care for several days. A career soldier, he seized power in a military coup in 1954.
Stroessner was one of the most prominent leaders in an era when repressive military dictators, often with US backing, ruled many countries in Latin America. Corruption and human rights abuses were rife during his rule.
