Jorge Carpio Nicolle

Jorge Carpio Nicolle (oct 24 , 1932 – July 3, 1993) was a prominent Guatemalan politician and newspaper publisher. He was the founder of the Unión del Centro Nacional (National Centrist Union, or UCN) in 1984, and ran as the party's candidate for president in the elections of 1985 and 1990. He came in second in both elections. He was the founder, director and editor of "El Gráfico", at one time one of Guatemala's largest newspapers. He also founded "La Tarde", "El Deportivo", "La Razón", and other newspapers during his career. He also served as Guatemala's Ambassador to the United Nations, and formed part of the commission on human rights (1966) [cite news|url=http://www.liberal-international.org/editorial.asp?ia_id=1037|title=Jorge Carpio Nicolle, Guatemala (1932-1993)|publisher=Liberal International|accessdate=2008-05-31] He was assassinated on July 3, 1993, along with three other political leaders of the UCN, in the municipality of Chichicastenango, El Quiché. Surviving witnesses reported that the murders took place after the group was intercepted by members of a Guatemalan Civil Defense Patrol, a type of paramilitary unit under the control of the Army. [cite news|url=http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/iachr/E/carpio-nicolle6-4-95.html|title=Carpio Nicolle Case, Order of the Court of June 4, 1995, Inter-Am. Ct. H.R. (Ser. E) (1995)|publisher=University of Minnesota Human Rights Library|accessdate=2008-05-31] According to his widow, Marta Arrivillaga de Carpio, who was with Carpio and the others during the attack, the party's minivan was stopped by a group of armed men in ski masks. The assailants said "You're Jorge Carpio" and then shot him three times. [cite news|first=Larry |last= Rohter|authorlink= Larry Rohter|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE4D71738F930A1575BC0A963958260|title= Death Squads in Guatemala: Even the Elite Are Not Safe|publisher=New York Times|date=1995-08-23|accessdate=2008-05-31] The other victims of the attack were Juan Vicente Villacorta, Alejandro Ávila Guzmán, and Rigoberto Rivas González. [cite news|url=http://cidh.oas.org/annualrep/2003eng/chap.3k.htm#_ftn8|title= Annual Report 2003|publisher=Inter-American Commission on Human Rights|date=2003-12-29|accessdate=2008-05-31]

Shortly before Carpio's assassination, his first cousin, Ramiro de León Carpio, was appointed President after the failed auto-coup by Jorge Serrano Elías.

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