CHASHA FARMING
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Ever since the Moabite King Eglon was stabbed to death on his throne in 1200 BCE (Judges 3:12-30)and probably long before thatpolitical leaders have been killed for any number of reasons.
Usually they are murdered because they are deemed a threat by others in authority, or because of some controversial political stand they have taken, but sometimes the rationale can be as simple as the quest for revenge or the desire by the assassin to be famous.
In any case, usually these murders are but minor footnotes in history, but occasionally they can and have had a profound impact on not only a nation, but on history itself. So who were these menand a few womanwhose deaths have had such immense repercussions?
10. Benazir Bhutto
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, 2007
While no longer a sitting head of state, Bhutos influence on Pakistani politics was considerable. A moderate voice in a country fraught with extremism, her death at the hands of Islamic militants may have single-handedly destroyed any chance the nation might have had for political stability and likely contributed to the general downward spiral the nation has experienced ever since.
While its unknown whether she might have made a major difference in slowing or arresting Pakistans increasingly militant tendencies, her death left a void that no opposition leader has been able to fill, leaving nuclear-capable Pakistan an increasingly unstable and dangerous nation.
9. Reinhard Heydrich
Senior Nazi Official, 1942
Only World War Two history buffs would likely know who Reinhard Heydrich was, but he was the one man who could have won the war for Germany had he not been killed by Czech partisans on the streets of Prague in 1942.
How? Every bit as ruthless and twice as smart as his protégé, Adolf Hitler, the man was being groomed to be the Fuhrers successor when he died; had he lived, who knows if he might not of eventually found the kahunas to oust an increasingly frail and delusional Hitler and take the reins of the Third Reich himselfa prospect that could have had profound implications for the allies.
Certainly, under Heydrichs leadership, the many mistakes made by Hitler in the last years of the war that all but sealed Germanys fate may have been avoided; on the other hand, he may have just made different mistakes that would have hastened Germanys defeat, but thats for the alternative history aficionados to work out.
8. Indira Gandhi
Indian Prime Minister, 1984
Like Benazir Bhutto (see number 10 above), for an entire generation of Indians, Indira Gandhi (no relation to number 6 below) was the voice of modernization whose death resulted in a period of considerable political instability in India for several years afterwards (instability that was to be behind the death of her own son, Rajiv Gandhi, at the hands of Tamil extremists in 1991).
Though often considered a controversial and, at times, heavy handed and unpopular figure in Indian politics, her influence and desire to bring India into the twentieth century cannot be underestimated, nor the damage done to those plansat least in the short termbe denied.
7. John F. Kennedy
U.S. President, 1963
While Kennedy was just one of four U.S. Presidents to die at the hands of an assassin (and one of no fewer than ten presidents to experience an assassination attempt), none were as public or had as much impact on the American psyche as did the death of the young former senator from Massachusetts.
While his death had only a minor impact on the political course he had set for the country (his successor, Lyndon Johnson, continued with many of his programs and policies) it can never be denied how profoundly his death cast a pall over the American people that has, in some ways, remained to this day.
But even more than that, his death resulted in the creation of the entire cottage industry of conspiracy theories, all of which have done much to stoke the fires of paranoia and cynicism that burn so strongly in this country.
6. Mahatma Gandhi
Indian political activist and spiritual leader, 1948
The voice of non-violence in an increasingly violent world, when the emaciated Indian holy man was gunned down on the streets of New Delhi by a university student turned activist, it was a tremendous blow not only to India, but to the entire world.
His policies of compassion towards the poor and non-violent resistance served as a blueprint for peaceful change, while his ability to affect both Hindu and Muslim alike made peaceof a kindpossible in his war-torn nation.
The only positive thing that can be saidif such is possibleis that it was fortunate his assailant was a fellow Hindu; had he been gunned down by a Moslem, it might well have turned the subcontinent into religious battleground of apocalyptic proportions.
5. Julius Caesar
Emperor of Rome, 44BCE
While the sort of event that seems more a part of melodrama than real history, the murder of Romes greatest general and first emperor at the hands of his own senators set the Roman Empire on a course that was to set her on the path of centuries of turmoil and treachery.
What Rome might have looked like had he stayed in power is unknown, of course, but its likely the transition of power in the future would have been a far less messy affair (and there certainly wouldnt have been the resultant civil war that very nearly split the empire in two either).
On the other hand, without Caesars death to kick-start a whole sordid chain of events, we would never have the Cleopatra/Mark Antony tryst to entertain us all these centuries, would we?
4. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Civil Rights Activist, 1968
While its impossible to know how things would have gone for the black community in the late sixties and early seventies had King not been silenced by an assassin, the loss of their chief spokesman was unquestionably a huge blow to the entire civil rights movement.
Considered the voice of reason and moderation in a time of increasing strife, his death opened the door for more militant leaders to rise to the forefront of the movement, often resulting in the radicalization of the black community and creating deeper divisions than was already evident.
Had he lived, its possible the late sixties and early seventies would have had a much less militant air about it, though thats purely speculative.
3. Alexander II
Tsar of Russia, 1881
While not many people likely know much about Tsar Alexander II of Russia, his death at the hands of terrorists (yes, they had them even back then, though at the time they were known as anarchists) in March of 1881 changed the course of Russia for the bad.
Something of an enlightened monarch and a reformer, he was on the verge of creating a parliament in Russia at the time of his death, which likely would have led to the countries eventual democratization (much as was seen in England and other European countries around this time).
Instead, his successors decided to take a more heavy handed approach, resulting in thirty more years of oppressive and corrupt leadership and sowing the seeds for the 1917 revolution that would introduce Communism to the world, the effects of which we are still feeling today.
2. Abraham Lincoln
U.S. President, 1865
No assassination has had as great an impact on a country than did that of the sixteenth president of the United States. His death at the hands of actor turned southern agitator John Wilkes Booth is not only the stuff of legend, but was disastrous to the south as well, who would have fared much better under Lincolns conciliatory hand in the aftermath of the Civil War than it did under Andrew Johnson and subsequent administrations. In fact, it could be said that because of Booths treachery, the Civil War lasted decades longerat least in the minds of many southernersthan it would have otherwise, and likely contributed greatly to the oppression of blacks in the south.
As such, in killing Lincoln, Booth may have damaged his beloved south far more than his actions could ever have helped it.
1. Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Heir Apparent to Austro-Hungarian Throne, 1914
So why does this guy make it to number 1 on the list? After all, its hard to imagine that the assassination of a fairly obscure nobleman could have huge repercussions, much less be the most important assassination in history. However, the death of the Archduke and his wife as they rode in an open car through the streets of Sarajevo (the capital of modern day Bosnia-Herzogovina but at the time part of greater Serbia) had immediate and profound repercussions.
The problem was that the assassin (you guessed it; another anarchist) was part of a group that had ties to the Serbian military itself; as such, in a world-class case of overreaction, Austro-Hungary held the Serbian government complicit in the murder and set in motion the wheels of war which would, in turn, start a chain of events that would, over the course a just a few weeks, not only bring the two countries to blows, but would drag the entire continent into the fray with it.
The result? World War Onearguably one of the bloodiest and most futile conflicts in history. (Final death toll: 15 million.) Certainly far better known and more powerful people have been assassinated over the years, but none had the consequences this single act of mindless brutality and sheer stupidity entailed.
Assassinations in Africa[
Algeria
[edit] Angola
[edit] Burkina Faso
[edit] Burundi
[edit] Cameroon
[edit] Chad
[edit] Comoros
[edit] Congo (Brazzaville)
[edit] Congo (Kinshasa)
[edit] Egypt
[edit] The Gambia
[edit] Guinea
[edit] Guinea Bissau
[edit] Kenya
[edit] Liberia
[edit] Mozambique
[edit] Namibia
[edit] Niger
[edit] Nigeria
[edit] Rwanda
[edit] Senegal
[edit] Somalia
[edit] South Africa
[edit] Sudan
[edit] Swaziland
[edit] Tanzania
[edit] Togo
[edit] Tunisia
[edit] Western Sahara
[edit] Zambia
[edit] Zimbabwe
[edit] Antigua and Barbuda
[edit] Argentina
[edit] Bermuda
[edit] Bolivia
[edit] Brazil
[edit] Canada
[edit] Chile
[edit] Colombia
[edit] Cuba
[edit] Dominican Republic
[edit] Ecuador
[edit] El Salvador
[edit] Grenada
[edit] Guatemala
[edit] Guyana
[edit] Haiti
[edit] Honduras
[edit] Mexico
[edit] Nicaragua
[edit] Panama
[edit] Puerto Rico
Arnaldo Darío Rosado, independence movement supporter
Usually they are murdered because they are deemed a threat by others in authority, or because of some controversial political stand they have taken, but sometimes the rationale can be as simple as the quest for revenge or the desire by the assassin to be famous.
In any case, usually these murders are but minor footnotes in history, but occasionally they can and have had a profound impact on not only a nation, but on history itself. So who were these menand a few womanwhose deaths have had such immense repercussions?
10. Benazir Bhutto
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, 2007
While no longer a sitting head of state, Bhutos influence on Pakistani politics was considerable. A moderate voice in a country fraught with extremism, her death at the hands of Islamic militants may have single-handedly destroyed any chance the nation might have had for political stability and likely contributed to the general downward spiral the nation has experienced ever since.
While its unknown whether she might have made a major difference in slowing or arresting Pakistans increasingly militant tendencies, her death left a void that no opposition leader has been able to fill, leaving nuclear-capable Pakistan an increasingly unstable and dangerous nation.
9. Reinhard Heydrich
Senior Nazi Official, 1942
Only World War Two history buffs would likely know who Reinhard Heydrich was, but he was the one man who could have won the war for Germany had he not been killed by Czech partisans on the streets of Prague in 1942.
How? Every bit as ruthless and twice as smart as his protégé, Adolf Hitler, the man was being groomed to be the Fuhrers successor when he died; had he lived, who knows if he might not of eventually found the kahunas to oust an increasingly frail and delusional Hitler and take the reins of the Third Reich himselfa prospect that could have had profound implications for the allies.
Certainly, under Heydrichs leadership, the many mistakes made by Hitler in the last years of the war that all but sealed Germanys fate may have been avoided; on the other hand, he may have just made different mistakes that would have hastened Germanys defeat, but thats for the alternative history aficionados to work out.
8. Indira Gandhi
Indian Prime Minister, 1984
Like Benazir Bhutto (see number 10 above), for an entire generation of Indians, Indira Gandhi (no relation to number 6 below) was the voice of modernization whose death resulted in a period of considerable political instability in India for several years afterwards (instability that was to be behind the death of her own son, Rajiv Gandhi, at the hands of Tamil extremists in 1991).
Though often considered a controversial and, at times, heavy handed and unpopular figure in Indian politics, her influence and desire to bring India into the twentieth century cannot be underestimated, nor the damage done to those plansat least in the short termbe denied.
7. John F. Kennedy
U.S. President, 1963
While Kennedy was just one of four U.S. Presidents to die at the hands of an assassin (and one of no fewer than ten presidents to experience an assassination attempt), none were as public or had as much impact on the American psyche as did the death of the young former senator from Massachusetts.
While his death had only a minor impact on the political course he had set for the country (his successor, Lyndon Johnson, continued with many of his programs and policies) it can never be denied how profoundly his death cast a pall over the American people that has, in some ways, remained to this day.
But even more than that, his death resulted in the creation of the entire cottage industry of conspiracy theories, all of which have done much to stoke the fires of paranoia and cynicism that burn so strongly in this country.
6. Mahatma Gandhi
Indian political activist and spiritual leader, 1948
The voice of non-violence in an increasingly violent world, when the emaciated Indian holy man was gunned down on the streets of New Delhi by a university student turned activist, it was a tremendous blow not only to India, but to the entire world.
His policies of compassion towards the poor and non-violent resistance served as a blueprint for peaceful change, while his ability to affect both Hindu and Muslim alike made peaceof a kindpossible in his war-torn nation.
The only positive thing that can be saidif such is possibleis that it was fortunate his assailant was a fellow Hindu; had he been gunned down by a Moslem, it might well have turned the subcontinent into religious battleground of apocalyptic proportions.
5. Julius Caesar
Emperor of Rome, 44BCE
While the sort of event that seems more a part of melodrama than real history, the murder of Romes greatest general and first emperor at the hands of his own senators set the Roman Empire on a course that was to set her on the path of centuries of turmoil and treachery.
What Rome might have looked like had he stayed in power is unknown, of course, but its likely the transition of power in the future would have been a far less messy affair (and there certainly wouldnt have been the resultant civil war that very nearly split the empire in two either).
On the other hand, without Caesars death to kick-start a whole sordid chain of events, we would never have the Cleopatra/Mark Antony tryst to entertain us all these centuries, would we?
4. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Civil Rights Activist, 1968
While its impossible to know how things would have gone for the black community in the late sixties and early seventies had King not been silenced by an assassin, the loss of their chief spokesman was unquestionably a huge blow to the entire civil rights movement.
Considered the voice of reason and moderation in a time of increasing strife, his death opened the door for more militant leaders to rise to the forefront of the movement, often resulting in the radicalization of the black community and creating deeper divisions than was already evident.
Had he lived, its possible the late sixties and early seventies would have had a much less militant air about it, though thats purely speculative.
3. Alexander II
Tsar of Russia, 1881
While not many people likely know much about Tsar Alexander II of Russia, his death at the hands of terrorists (yes, they had them even back then, though at the time they were known as anarchists) in March of 1881 changed the course of Russia for the bad.
Something of an enlightened monarch and a reformer, he was on the verge of creating a parliament in Russia at the time of his death, which likely would have led to the countries eventual democratization (much as was seen in England and other European countries around this time).
Instead, his successors decided to take a more heavy handed approach, resulting in thirty more years of oppressive and corrupt leadership and sowing the seeds for the 1917 revolution that would introduce Communism to the world, the effects of which we are still feeling today.
2. Abraham Lincoln
U.S. President, 1865
No assassination has had as great an impact on a country than did that of the sixteenth president of the United States. His death at the hands of actor turned southern agitator John Wilkes Booth is not only the stuff of legend, but was disastrous to the south as well, who would have fared much better under Lincolns conciliatory hand in the aftermath of the Civil War than it did under Andrew Johnson and subsequent administrations. In fact, it could be said that because of Booths treachery, the Civil War lasted decades longerat least in the minds of many southernersthan it would have otherwise, and likely contributed greatly to the oppression of blacks in the south.
As such, in killing Lincoln, Booth may have damaged his beloved south far more than his actions could ever have helped it.
1. Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Heir Apparent to Austro-Hungarian Throne, 1914
So why does this guy make it to number 1 on the list? After all, its hard to imagine that the assassination of a fairly obscure nobleman could have huge repercussions, much less be the most important assassination in history. However, the death of the Archduke and his wife as they rode in an open car through the streets of Sarajevo (the capital of modern day Bosnia-Herzogovina but at the time part of greater Serbia) had immediate and profound repercussions.
The problem was that the assassin (you guessed it; another anarchist) was part of a group that had ties to the Serbian military itself; as such, in a world-class case of overreaction, Austro-Hungary held the Serbian government complicit in the murder and set in motion the wheels of war which would, in turn, start a chain of events that would, over the course a just a few weeks, not only bring the two countries to blows, but would drag the entire continent into the fray with it.
The result? World War Onearguably one of the bloodiest and most futile conflicts in history. (Final death toll: 15 million.) Certainly far better known and more powerful people have been assassinated over the years, but none had the consequences this single act of mindless brutality and sheer stupidity entailed.
Assassinations in Africa[
Algeria
- Hiempsal (117 BC), co-ruler of Numidia
- Charles de Foucauld (December 1, 1916), French Catholic religious and priest
- François Darlan (December 24, 1942), senior figure of Vichy France
- Mohamed Khemisti (April 11, 1963), Algerian foreign minister [SUP][2][/SUP]
- Mustafa Bouyali (February 3, 1987), Islamic fundamentalist
- Mohamed Boudiaf (June 29, 1992), Head of State of Algeria, shot at Annaba [SUP][3][/SUP]
- Kasdi Merbah (August 22, 1993), former Prime Minister of Algeria
- Abdelkader Alloula (March 10, 1994), playwright
- Cheb Hasni (September 29, 1994), singer
- Seven monks of the Trappistes of Tibérine (March 27, 1996)
- Pierre Claverie (August 1, 1996), Catholic bishop of Oran
- Tahar Djaout Poet (June 2, 1993)
- Said Mekbel Journalist, assassinated with a car bomb in Aïn Bénian, Algiers (December 3, 1994)
- Lounès Matoub (June 25, 1998), berberist singer
- Abdelkader Hachani (November 22, 1999), Islamic fundamentalist
- Ali Tounsi (February 25, 2010), chief of the national police
[edit] Angola
- Jeremias Chitunda (November 2, 1992), Vice President of UNITA
- Elias Salupeto Pena (November 2, 1992), UNITA senior advisor
[edit] Burkina Faso
- Thomas Sankara (October 15, 1987), Head of State of Burkina Faso
- Norbert Zongo (December 13, 1998), journalist
[edit] Burundi
- Louis Rwagasore (October 13, 1961), Prime Minister of Burundi
- Pierre Ngendandumwe (January 15, 1965), Prime Minister of Burundi [SUP][4][/SUP]
- Joseph Bamina (September 30, 1965), Prime Minister of Burundi
- Melchior Ndadaye (October 21, 1993), President of Burundi, Founder of The Burundi Workers' Party
- Cyprien Ntaryamira (April 6, 1994), President of Burundi, airplane shot down [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Kassi Manlan (November 20, 2001), World Health Organisation representative
[edit] Cameroon
- Ruben Um Nyobé (September 13, 1958), leader of the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC)
[edit] Chad
- François Tombalbaye (April 13, 1975), President of Chad
[edit] Comoros
- Ali Soilih (May 29, 1978), former President of Comoros
- Ahmed Abdallah (November 26, 1989), President of Comoros
- Combo Ayouba (June 13, 2010), army chief of staff and former interim head of state
[edit] Congo (Brazzaville)
- Marien Ngouabi (March 18, 1977), President of the Congo, shot in Brazzaville [SUP][1][/SUP]
[edit] Congo (Kinshasa)
- Patrice Lumumba (1961 January 17), former Prime Minister of the Congo [SUP][2][/SUP]
- Maurice Mpolo (1961 January 17), former Youth Minister, and Lumumba associate [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Joseph Okito (1961 January 17), Senate Vice-President and Lumumba associate [SUP][2][/SUP]
- Laurent Kabila (2001 January 16), President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, shot by bodyguard [SUP][1][/SUP]
[edit] Egypt
- Pompey the Great (48 BC), Roman general and politician killed in Egypt
- Al-Afdal Shahanshah (1121), vizier of Fatimid Egypt
- Al-Amir (1130), Fatimid Caliph
- Qutuz (1260), Mamluk sultan of Egypt
- Jean Baptiste Kléber (1800), French general
- Boutros Ghali (1910), Prime Minister of Egypt
- Sir Lee Stack (1924), Governor-General of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
- Walter Edward Guinness, Lord Moyne (1944), the UK's Minister Resident in the Middle East
- Ahmed Maher Pasha (1945 February 24), Prime Minister of Egypt [SUP][5][/SUP]
- Mahmud Fahmi Nokrashi (1948 December 28), Prime Minister of Egypt [SUP][6][/SUP]
- Hassan al-Banna (1949), founder of the Muslim Brotherhood
- Wasfi al-Tal (1971 November 28), Prime Minister of Jordan shot during visit to Cairo [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Anwar Sadat (1981 October 6), President of Egypt, shot while reviewing military parade [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Rifaat al-Mahgoub (1990), speaker of Egyptian parliament
- Farag Foda (1992), Egyptian politician and intellectual
[edit] The Gambia
- Deyda Hydara (2004), journalist
[edit] Guinea
- Amílcar Cabral (1973), Pan-African intellectual, in Conakry, Guinea
[edit] Guinea Bissau
- Batista Tagme Na Waie (2009), chief of staff of the army
- Joao Bernardo Vieira (2009, March 2), President of Guinea Bissau
- Baciro Dabó (2009), government minister and independent presidential candidate
- Hélder Proença (2009), former government minister
[edit] Kenya
- Pio Gama Pinto (1965), socialist politician
- Tom Mboya (1969 July 5), Kenyan Minister of Economic Planning and politician [SUP][7][/SUP]
- Josiah Mwangi Kariuki (1975), Kenyan politician
- Robert Ouko (1990), foreign minister of Kenya
- Seth Sendashonga (1998), former interior minister of Rwanda
- Oscar Kamau Kingara (2009), human rights activist
- John Paul Oulo (2009), human rights activist
[edit] Liberia
- William R. Tolbert, Jr. (1980 April 12), president of Liberia killed in military coup [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Samuel Doe (1990), president of Liberia
- Radama II of Madagascar (1863), king of Madagascar
- Richard Ratsimandrava (1975 February 11), president of Madagascar shot 6 days after taking power in military coup [SUP][1][/SUP]
[edit] Mozambique
- Eduardo Mondlane (1969), leader of the independence FRELIMO movement, allegedly killed by the Portuguese branch of Gladio
- Carlos Cardoso (2000), Mozambican journalist
[edit] Namibia
- Clemens Kapuuo (1978), Herero chief and politician
- Anton Lubowski (1989), leading white SWAPO activist
[edit] Niger
- Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara (1999 April 9), President of Niger, ambushed by soldiers [SUP][1][/SUP]
[edit] Nigeria
- Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (1966), Prime Minister of Nigeria killed during military coup
- Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello (1966)
- Adekunle Fajuyi (1966)
- Samuel Akintola (1966)
- Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi (1966), military head of state
- Murtala Ramat Mohammed (1976 February 13), President of Nigeria [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Dele Giwa (1986), journalist
- Bola Ige (2001), justice minister of Nigeria
- Modu Bintube (2011), Borno state legislator
[edit] Rwanda
- Dian Fossey (1985), primatologist, in the province of Ruhengeri
- Agathe Uwilingiyimana (1994), Prime Minister of Rwanda killed one day after genocide began
- Juvénal Habyarimana (1994 April 6), his plane was shot out of the sky as it approached Kigali airport, and signalled the start of the Rwandan Genocide [SUP][1][/SUP]
[edit] Senegal
- Demba Diop (1967), government minister and mayor
[edit] Somalia
- Abdirashid Ali Shermarke (1969), president of Somalia
- Abdallah Derow Isaq (2006), former acting President of Somalia
- Ali Said (2009), Mogadishu police chief
- Omar Hashi Aden (2009), security minister
- Abdishakur Sheikh Hassan Farah (2011), interior minister
[edit] South Africa
- Shaka (1828), king of the Zulus, near Stanger (now KwaDukuza) by Dingane and Mhlangana
- Hendrik Verwoerd (1966 September 6), Prime Minister of South Africa, stabbed in parliament by Dimitri Tsafendas [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Ruth First (1982), anti-apartheid scholar and wife of Communist party leader Joe Slovo, by pro-apartheid "Koevoet" leader Craig Williamson
- Vernon Nkadimeng (1985), South African dissident
- Dulcie September (1988), head of the African National Congress in Paris, by South African Defense Force sergeant Joseph Klue
- Chris Hani (1993), leader of the South African Communist Party shot by Janusz Walus
- Johan Heyns (1995), prominent leader in the Dutch Reformed Church
- Mbongeleni Zondi (2009), South African politician
[edit] Sudan
- Cleo Noel Jr and George Curtis Moore (1973 March 2), US Chief of Mission/Deputy Chief ot Mission (see 1973 Khartoum diplomatic assassinations) [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Guy Eid (1973), Belgian Chargé d'affaires (see 1973 Khartoum diplomatic assassinations)
- John Granville (2008), diplomat for the United States Agency for International Development
- Jimmy Lemi Milla (2011), Southern Sudan government minister
[edit] Swaziland
- Gabriel Mkhumane (2008), political opposition leader
[edit] Tanzania
- Abeid Amani Karume (1972), first President of Zanzibar, First Vice President of Tanzania
- David Sibeko (1979), South African political activist
[edit] Togo
- Sylvanus Olympio (1963 January 13), first president of independent Togo, in a coup led by dictator Gnassingbé Eyadéma [SUP][2][/SUP]
- Tavio Amorin (1992), socialist leader (shot in Lomé, died in Paris)
[edit] Tunisia
- Khalil Wazir ("Abu Jihad") (1988 April 16), military leader of the PLO, shot by Israeli commandos in Tunis [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Salah Khalaf ("Abu Iyad") (1991), deputy leader of the PLO killed by Abu Nidal terrorists in Tunis, Tunisia
- Benedicto Kiwanuka (1972), Chief Justice of Uganda
- Janani Luwum (1977), Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Boga-Zaire from 1974 until 1977
[edit] Western Sahara
- Mohamed Bassiri (1970), Sahrawi leader and journalist, disappeared in El Aaiún
[edit] Zambia
- Herbert Chitepo (1975), Zimbabwean nationalist leader
[edit] Zimbabwe
- Attati Mpakati (1983), left-wing Malawian politician
[edit] Antigua and Barbuda
- Daniel Parke (1710), British governor of the Leeward Islands
[edit] Argentina
- Justo José de Urquiza (1870), former president of Argentina
- Pedro Aramburu (1970), former president of Argentina executed by the Montoneros
- Carlos Prats (1974), Chilean general
- Zelmar Michelini (1976), Uruguayan senator
- Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz (1976), speaker of the Uruguayan House of Representatives
[edit] Bermuda
- Sir Richard Sharples (1973), governor of Bermuda
[edit] Bolivia
- Pedro Blanco Soto (1829), President of Boliva
- Manuel Isidoro Belzu (1865), President of Bolivia
- Mariano Melgarejo (1871), President of Bolivia
- Che Guevara (1967), Argentine revolutionary leader
- René Barrientos Ortuño (1969), former President of Bolivia
- Juan José Torres (1976), former President of Bolivia
[edit] Brazil
- Pinheiro Machado (politician) (1915), Brazilian politician
- João Pessoa Cavalcânti de Albuquerque (1930)
- Adib Shishakli (1964), Syrian military dictator
- Vladimir Herzog (1975), Journalist
- Zuzu Angel (1976), Brazilian activist
- Chico Mendes (1988), Brazilian environmental activist
- Paulo César Farias (1996), Collor de Mello's campaign treasurer
- Antonio da Costa Santos (2001), Mayor of Campinas
- Dorothy Stang (2005), American nun killed by business interests
[edit] Canada
- Thomas D'Arcy McGee (1868), Father of Canadian Confederation
- George Brown (1880), newspaper editor and Senator
- William C. Hopkinson (1914), immigration officer, British intelligence agent, by Ghadarite sympathizer, Mewa Singh
- Pierre Laporte (1970), Quebec Minister of Labour, was kidnapped and murdered by the FLQ
- Atilla Altıkat (1982), Turkish diplomat assassinated by Armenian nationalists in Ottawa
[edit] Chile
- René Schneider (1970), Chilean general
- Edmundo Pérez Zujovic (1971), Chilean ex Secretary of interior affairs
- Victor Jara (1973), singer
- Jaime Guzmán (1991), Chilean Senator
[edit] Colombia
- Antonio José de Sucre (1830), Venezuelan politician, statesman, soldier
- Rafael Uribe Uribe (1914), Lawyer, journalist, diplomat, soldier
- Jorge Eliécer Gaitán (1948), Liberal Party leader
- Rodrigo Lara Bonilla (1984), Minister of Justice
- Jaime Pardo Leal (1987), Presidential candidate, leader of the Patriotic Union party
- Guillermo Cano Isaza (1986), Director of El Espectador newspaper
- Luis Carlos Galán (1989), Presidential candidate, leader of the Colombian Liberal Party
- Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa (1990 March 22), Presidential candidate, leader of the Patriotic Union party [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Carlos Pizarro Leongómez (1990), Presidential candidate, leader of the M-19 party
- Diana Turbay (1991), journalist and daughter of former Colombian president Julio César Turbay Ayala
- Andrés Escobar (1994), International footballer
- Manuel Cepeda Vargas (1994), Senator, leader of the Patriotic Union party
- Alvaro Gómez Hurtado (1995), former presidential candidate and director of El Nuevo Siglo newspaper
- Jaime Garzón (1999), Notable journalist and satirist
- Guillermo Gaviria Correa (2003), Governor of Antioquia
[edit] Cuba
- Antonio Guiteras (1935), Revolutionary Socialist Leader
[edit] Dominican Republic
- Ulises Heureaux (1899), president of the Dominican Republic
- Rafael Leónidas Trujillo (1961 May 30), Dominican Republic dictator, shot in ambush
- Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó (1973)
[edit] Ecuador
- Gabriel García Moreno (1875), president of Ecuador known for his support of the Catholic Church
- Jaime Hurtado and Pablo Tapia (1999), communist legislators, in Quito
- Luis Edgar Devia Silva (a.k.a. Raúl Reyes) (2008), FARC spokesman [SUP][8][/SUP]
[edit] El Salvador
- Manuel Enrique Araujo (1913), President of El Salvador
- Farabundo Martí (1932), communist leader and peasant revolt organizer.
- Roque Dalton (1975), poet and revolutionary.
- Rutilio Grande García, S.J. (1977), Roman Catholic priest
- Alfonso Navarro Oviedo (1977), Roman Catholic priest
- Ernesto Barrera (1978), Roman Catholic priest
- Octavio Ortiz Luna (1979), Roman Catholic priest
- Rafael Palacios (1979), Roman Catholic priest
- Alirio Napoleón Macías (1979), Roman Catholic priest
- Óscar Arnulfo Romero (1980), Archbishop of San Salvador, by right-wing death squad
- Enrique Álvarez Córdova (1980) and five other leaders of the opposition Democratic Revolutionary Front ("FDR," for its Spanish initials), captured and killed by government aligned security forces.
- Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, Dorothy Kazel, and Jean Donovan (1980), Roman Catholic nuns, by the National Guard of El Salvador
- Albert Schaufelberger (1983), senior U.S. Naval representative
- Ignacio Ellacuría (1989), Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, by Atlacatl Battalion of the Salvadoran Army
- Ignacio Martin-Baro (1989), Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, by Atlacatl Battalion of the Salvadoran Army
- Segundo Montes (1989), Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, by Atlacatl Battalion of the Salvadoran Army
- María Cristina Gómez, 1989, teacher and community leader
[edit] Grenada
- Maurice Bishop (1983), Prime Minister, US-led invasion of Grenada.[SUP][9][/SUP]
[edit] Guatemala
- José María Reina Barrios (1898), President of Guatemala
- Carlos Castillo Armas (1957), president of Guatemala, killed by bodyguard [SUP][2][/SUP]
- Karl von Spreti (1970), German ambassador in Guatemala
- Alberto Fuentes Mohr (1979), Social Democratic Party leader
- Manuel Colom Argueta (1979), Mayor of Guatemala City
- Jorge Carpio Nicolle (1993), Liberal politician and journalist
- Juan José Gerardi (1998), Roman Catholic bishop
[edit] Guyana
- Leo J. Ryan (1978), US Congressman (D) from San Mateo, California; killed while investigating religious cult led by American Jim Jones
- Fr. Bernard Darke, S.J. (1979), Roman Catholic priest and Scouting pioneer in Guyana
- Walter Rodney (1980), Guyanese historian and political figure
- Satyadeow Sawh (2006), Agriculture Minister was murdered along with his brother and sister, a security guard by masked gunmen dressed in military fatigues
[edit] Haiti
- Jean-Jacques Dessalines (1806), Emperor of Haiti
- Antoine Izméry (1993), businessman and Lavalas supporter
- Guy Malary (1993), minister of justice
- Jean Dominique (2000), journalist
- Jacques Roche (2005), journalist
[edit] Honduras
- Maximiliano Hernández Martínez (1966), president of El Salvador from 1931 to 1944
- Mario Fernando Hernández (2008), deputy speaker of Congress for the Liberal Party
[edit] Mexico
- Motecuhzoma II Xocoyotl (1520), Mexica Emperor
- Francisco I. Madero (1913 February 23), President of Mexico[SUP][2][/SUP] plus Gustavo A. Madero and José María Pino Suárez
- Abraham González (1913 March 7), revolutionary, governor of Chihuahua and mentor to Pancho Villa
- Emiliano Zapata (1919), revolutionary
- Venustiano Carranza (1920 May 20), President of Mexico[SUP][2][/SUP]
- Doroteo Arango a.k.a. Pancho Villa (1923 July 20), revolutionary[SUP][10][/SUP]
- Felipe Carrillo Puerto (1924), Governor of Yucatán
- Álvaro Obregón (1928 July 17), President-elect[SUP][10][/SUP]
- Julio Antonio Mella (1929), Cuban revolutionary
- Leon Trotsky (1940 August 20), Russian communist leader[SUP][10][/SUP]
- Enrique Camarena (1985), policeman
- Carlos Loret de Mola Mediz (1986), Journalist and State governor
- Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo (1993), Roman Catholic Cardinal of Guadalajara, at the Guadalajara Airport
- Luis Donaldo Colosio (1994 March 23), Presidential candidate[SUP][1][/SUP]
- Francisco Ortiz Franco (1994), contributing editor to Zeta.
- José Francisco Ruiz Massieu (1994), Secretary-General of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional
- Paco Stanley (1999), Comedian
- Digna Ochoa (2001), human rights lawyer
- Jesús Manuel Lara Rodríguez (2010), Mayor of Guadalupe
- Rodolfo Torre Cantú (2010), politician
[edit] Nicaragua
- Augusto César Sandino (1934), Nicaraguan revolutionary
- Anastasio Somoza García (1956 September 21), President of Nicaragua [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal (1978), newspaper editor, Nicaraguan Somoza opposition
- Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1980 September 17), former President, ambushed in Paraguay [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Enrique Bermúdez (1991)
[edit] Panama
- José Antonio Remón Cantera (1955 January 2), President of Panama, killed at racetrack by machine gun [SUP][2][/SUP]
- Juan Bautista Gill (1877), President of Paraguay
- Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1980), former President of Nicaragua
- Luis María Argaña (1999 March 23), vice president of Paraguay, ambushed [SUP][1][/SUP]
- Francisco Pizarro (1541), Spanish conquistador, in Peru
- Jose Balta (1872), President of Peru
- Luis M. Sánchez Cerro (1933), president of Peru
- María Elena Moyano (1992), a community organizer in Villa El Salvador
[edit] Puerto Rico
Arnaldo Darío Rosado, independence movement supporter
- Carlos Soto Arriví, independence movement supporter
- Luis Vigoreaux, television show host
- Alejandro Gonzalez Malave, undercover policeman involved in the assassinations of Rosado and Soto Arrivi