Carlos Pizarro Leongómez

Infobox Person
name= Carlos Pizarro Leongómez
caption= Carlos Pizarro Leongomez during the dialogue of peace
birth_date= birth date|1951|06|6|mf=y
birth_place= Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
death_date= death date and age|1990|04|26|1951|06|6|mf=y
death_place= Bogota, Colombia
party = AD/M-19
occupation = Politician, Commander of the M-19, candidate for the presidence of Colombia 1990-1994
religion = Roman Catholic
successor = Antonio Navarro Wolff

Carlos Pizarro Leongómez was the fourth commander of the Colombian based guerrilla group 19th of April Movement ("Movimiento 19 de Abril") (M-19). Pizarro later ran for president of Colombia after the demobilization of M-19 that transformed the group into the political party, M-19 Democratic Alliance ("Alianza Democrática M-19") (AD/M-19). Pizarro was assassinated 1990-04-26cite book|title=Country report: Colombia |publisher=Economist Intelligence Unit |year=1990 | pages= 8] cite book|title=Democracy in Colombia: Clientelist Politics and Guerrilla Warfare |author=Jorge Pablo Osterling |publisher=Transaction Books |pages=302]

First Years

He was born the 6 of June 1951 in Cartagena de Indias, son of navy admiral Juan Antonio Pizarro. He studied in several high-schools, as much lay as religious, soon he enters a boarding school in Bogota where he graduated as Bachelor.

He is admitted later in the faculty of Law of the Pontifical Javeriana University, (pontificia Universidad javerfiana) where participates in the only student strike of the institution, its revolutionary activity was worth his expulsion from this University. Later Pizarro-Leongomez enters the National University of Colombia, where he culminated his studies in Law and participates in political left-wing activism; He joint to Communist Youth Party (in spanish Juventud Comunista JUCO) shortly after wakes up his total passion towards politics. He was send there to the zones of violence to make works social, which connects with the Colombian town and the crude situation that lived.

The M-19

Being loyal to its ideals it is enlisted to the rows of The FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) at the age of 18 years. Nevertheless, due to discrepancies with the High Commands of the group, it decides to desert and when returning a is united Jaime Bateman, Alvaro Fayad “the Turk”, Luis Otero Cifuentes, Vera Grabe and others in the creation of movement 19 of April M-19, at the end of 1973 compartiria its great plans and their project of life.

The M-19 was defined as urban, nationalistic, bolivarian and Social-Democratic guerrilla. In an incredible act the 20 of January 1974 the M-19 robs of the Villa of Bolivar in Bogota, the sword of the Liberator, who becomes the symbol of fight under the slogan of “Bolivar your sword returns to the fight ".

Another act is the robbery of 5,000 arms of I exercise in the north of Bogota, but the persecution untied during the government of Julio Cesar Turbay, I cause violations to the Human rights and the imprisonment of almost all his you lead.

Halting and amnesty

In 1979 Pizarro it is detected in Santander, after a crude attack of the army, one surrenders next to several companions and are taken to a military base where they are tortured.

Soon it is transferred to the jail of La Picota of Bogota, place where are their companions of fight and group. He remains lengthy three years where also it is judged by the Verbal Council military, along with but 150 companions, not , they leave free in 1982 at the beginning of the government of Belisario Betancur after being approved by absolute majority in the Congress, the amnesty law.

After the amnesty, continuous Pizarro its guerrilla activities insisting to the government the establishment to him of I engage in a dialog of peace, after the death of its friend and Bateman companion in a flight accident assumes the control of the group.

The Process of peace, the truce, the breaking of these and the Palace of Justice

The 24 of August 1984 of sign the Agreements of Corinto, after an attack that suffered during an ambush of the army (next to other made its companion Iván Marino Ospina) in that salio hurt next to its companion. In spite of the intention to lay down the arms, Pizarro controls new battles against the army after this this also attacked his main amnestied heads or in truce and the camping in truce in Yarumales.

At the beginning of 1985 in quality of supreme commander, Pizarro announces defeat the truce and the resumption of operations of the guerrilla. The 6 of November of that same year, Alvaro Fayad orders the taking of the Palace of Justice in Bogota kidnapping to the magistrates of the high courts, the objective of the taking was the juzgamiento of the president to fail to fulfill the agreements of Corinto. The government ignoring the requests of the group orders to te army to attack the building, without surviving the guerrillas nor the hostages who requested cease fire and the respect to the life.

M-19 leadership

"America" Battalion & CNG

Pizarro became commander of M-19 in 1986, following the Palace of Justice siege. Prior to '86 Pizarro was the movement's military commander and often credited with moving the group in a more militant direction. In January 1986, from the Cauca Andes mountains, Pizarro announced the organization of the "America" Battalion which was compromised of fighters from the National Guerrilla Coordinating Group ("Coordinadora Nacional Guerrillera") (CNG) and foreign fighters from other Latin American countries.Osterling p.306]

The "America" Battalion was to operate much like the CNG, but on an international level that would include fighters from all over Latin America. The group however was unable to operate and consolidate due to deportation of suspicious foreigners in the Cauca Department. The groups victories included the seizure of neighboring areas such as Belalcazar in August 1986 and Inza in September 1986.

AD/M-19 formation

After 19 years in operation the group, commanded by Pizarro, began negotiating with the Colombian government, in April 1989, for demobilization conditional on certain grounds.cite news|publisher=Associated Press |title=Colombia, Rebel Group Agree to Open Peace Talks April |date=March 18, 1989] The primary request of the group was a full pardon for all prior activities as well as the right to form a political party. M-19 in return agreed to turn over all weapons and not to return to violent activities, the demobilization date was set for mid December 1989.cite news|title=Colombia |publisher=The Associated Press |author=Stan Yarbro |date=December 3, 1998] The accord was signed in the town of Santo Domingo by Jaime Pardo Rueda, adviser to the president, Raul Orejuela Bueno, Minister of Interior and Pizarro, Commander of M-19.cite news|title=Drug trafficker extradited to U.S. |author=Joseph Coleman |date=October 29, 1998 |publisher=Associated Press] cite news|publisher=The Washington Post |date=September 27, 1989 |page=A46 |title=Bogotá, Guerrillas Reach Agreement]

Following the signing of the accord, M-19 announced Pizarro would officially run as the groups presidential nomination in the 1990 elections. He would soon after be assassinated on April 26, 1990. During the 1990 presidential campaign, three candidates were assassinated: Luis Carlos Galán, the leading Liberal candidate, Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa for the political party Unión Patriótica (UP), and Pizarro.cite book|author=Harvey F. Kline |title=Colombia: democracy under assault |publisher=Boulder: Westview Press |68] cite book|title=Driven by Drugs: U.S. Policy Toward Colombia |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers |author=Russell Crandall|33] Following the assassination, Antonio Navarro Wolff accepted the nomination of AD/M-19. [Crandall p. 70] Wolff would later finish third in the race, with 12.7% of vote, losing out to César Gaviria who later appointed him the position of health minister.cite book|title=Political Parties of the Americas, 1980s to 1990s, Canada, Latin America, and the West Indies |author=Charles D. Ameringer |publisher=Greenwood Press |pages=201]

Chief Prosecutor Alfonso Gomez would later charge Carlos Castaño, former leader of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia ( _es. Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia) (AUC), for the deaths of Jaramillo Ossa and Pizarro on May 24, 1999. [Crandall p.69] [Kline p.68]

ee also

*19th of April Movement
*History of Colombia
*Palace of Justice siege
*Politics of Colombia

References