Protestors Reflect on 70 Years of Paraguay's Dictatorship

In a powerful display of dissent, thousands gathered in Asunción, Paraguay, to witness the removal of a bronze statue commemorating Gen. Alfredo Stroessner, the country’s longest-serving dictator, who ruled from 1954 until his ousting in 1989. The statue's collapse was met with cheers from the crowd, many of whom are survivors of Stroessner's brutal regime, which left nearly 20,000 Paraguayans tortured or imprisoned without trial. Emilio Barreto, an 84-year-old unionist’s son, reflected on the enduring impact of Stroessner’s rule, stating, “Today we’ve been through 35 years of dictatorship and 35 years of so-called democracy.” The protests, which took place on the 70th anniversary of Paraguay's independence, were fueled by growing concerns over democratic backsliding under President Santiago Peña’s administration. Activists, including Hugo Valiente from Amnesty International, voiced alarm over recent government actions perceived as limiting civil liberties and freedom of association. The opposition, led by figures like center-left senator Kattya González, who was expelled from the Senate last year, has been vocal in its criticism of the current government. The atmosphere of dissent is further complicated by tensions with the United States, as Paraguay recently requested the acceleration of the U.S. ambassador's departure following sanctions imposed on a local tobacco company linked to former president Horacio Cartes. Rogelio Goiburú, who works to recover victims' remains from the dictatorship, lamented the lack of a national memory policy regarding the dictatorship's atrocities, contrasting Paraguay's efforts with those of Argentina, where justice for victims has been more robust. “We do this so we don’t lose our memory, so this doesn’t happen again,” he emphasized.