Roberto D'Aubuisson

This article is about a Salvadoran partisan. Not to be confused with the American counterinsurgent "Blowtorch Bob" Komer.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is D'Aubuisson and the second or maternal family name is Arrieta.
Major
Roberto D'Aubuisson
90th President of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
In office
26 April 1982 – 20 December 1983
Preceded byJosé Leandro Echeverría
Succeeded byMaría Julia Castillo Rodas
Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador from La Libertad
In office
1 May 1988 – 20 February 1992
Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador from San Salvador
In office
26 April 1982 – 1 May 1988
Personal details
Born
Roberto D'Aubuisson Arrieta

23 August 1943
Santa Tecla, El Salvador
Died20 February 1992(1992-02-20) (aged 48)
San Salvador, El Salvador
Political partyNationalist Republican Alliance
Spouse(s)Yolanda Munguía (divorced)
Luz María Angulo (his death)
Children4
RelativesMaribel Arrieta (cousin)
Alma materCaptain General Gerardo Barrios Military School
School of the Americas
OccupationMilitary officer, politician
Known forOrdering the assassination of Óscar Romero
Nickname(s)Chele, Blowtorch Bob, The Major[1]
Military service
Allegiance El Salvador
Branch/serviceSalvadoran Army
Years of service1963–1980
RankMajor Major
UnitNational Guard
CommandsDeath squads
Battles/warsSalvadoran Civil War

Roberto D'Aubuisson Arrieta (dohb-wee-SOHN;[2] 23 August 1943 – 20 February 1992) was a Salvadoran military officer, neo-fascist[3][4][5] politician, and death squad leader. In 1981, he co-founded and became the first leader of the far-right Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) and served as president of the Legislative Assembly from 1982 to 1983.[6][7][8] He was a presidential candidate for 1984 presidential election, losing in the second round to José Napoleón Duarte, the former president of the Revolutionary Government Junta.[9]

After ARENA's loss in the 1985 legislative elections, D'Aubuisson stepped down in favor of Alfredo Cristiani and was designated as the party's honorary president for life.[9] D'Aubuisson was named by the United Nations' Truth Commission for El Salvador as having ordered the assassination of Óscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador in 1980.[10]

  1. ^ Farah, Douglas (23 February 1992). "D'Aubuisson: Death Comes to the Executioner". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Roberto D'Aubuisson Arrieta" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. 5 May 1982. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  3. ^ Pyes, Craig (17 April 1994). "DEATH SQUAD DEMOCRACY". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. ^ Los Angeles Times (9 January 1987). "The World". L.A. Times Archive.
  5. ^ "Archbishop Oscar Romero | Kellogg Institute For International Studies". kellogg.nd.edu. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  6. ^ Horvitz, Leslie Alan; Catherwood, Christopher (14 May 2014). Encyclopedia of War Crimes and Genocide. Infobase Publishing. p. 119. ISBN 9781438110295. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  7. ^ Ameringer, Charles D. (1992). Political Parties of the Americas, 1980s to 1990s: Canada, Latin America, and the West Indies. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 293. ISBN 9780313274183. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  8. ^ "EL SALVADOR ELECTS NEW LEADER OF ASSEMBLY". The New York Times. AP. 25 December 1983. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Salvador Rightist D'Aubuisson Quits Party Post". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 1 October 1985. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  10. ^ Brockett, Charles D. (21 February 2005). Political Movements and Violence in Central America. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521600552. Retrieved 19 October 2016.