Enrique Gorriarán Merlo
Encyclopedia
Enrique Haroldo Gorriarán Merlo (18 October 1941 – 22 September 2006) was an Argentine
guerrilla insurgency leader, born in San Nicolás de los Arroyos
, Buenos Aires Province
.
His family was affiliated with the Radical Civic Union
, but at the age of 27 Gorriarán Merlo joined the Trotskyist
Workers Revolutionary Party
(PRT), and then cofounded its armed wing, the People's Revolutionary Army
(ERP). He continued to be a leader of the PRT and the ERP through to the beginning of the Argentine Dirty War
, spanning the governments of Héctor José Cámpora
(1973), Juan Perón
, and Isabel Martínez de Perón
, the last of which was cut short by the coup that started the National Reorganization Process
(1976).
Prior to joining the insurgency around 1970, he lived in Rosario
, 70 km from his birthplace, and worked for two years in the Swift meat packing plant. In an interview he alleged that insurgent organizations gained thousands of recruits in the area at the time. There, Gorriarán Merlo led the first armed attack by ERP, the capture of Police Station No. 24, in 1971.
Soon afterwards, he was captured and imprisoned in Rawson, Chubut
. He was part of the group of insurgents that organized the prison break that occurred during the night of 15 August 1972. Only six out of 110 were able to make a successful escape; 19 were recaptured and 16 were executed (see Trelew massacre
). The successful ones, Gorriarán Merlo among them, fled to Chile
, at that time under the Socialist administration of Salvador Allende
, and from there were granted safe passage to Cuba
. He returned to Argentina a few months later. In January 1974, he took part in the attack on the military base in Azul, Buenos Aires
, where a military officer and his wife were killed.
After the fall of Isabel Perón in March 1976, the largely defeated ERP fled the country in order to reorganize itself. Gorriarán Merlo moved to Nicaragua
to collaborate with the Sandinistas
, and in 1980 he was involved in the assassination of the deposed Nicaraguan dictator, Anastasio Somoza Debayle
, who was living in exile in Asunción
, Paraguay. In the last years of his life he was prohibited entry into Nicaragua, but enjoyed the support and friendship of the Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega
.
In 1985, Gorriarán Merlo founded the All For the Country Movement (Movimiento Todos por la Patria, MTP). He returned to Argentina in 1987. The MTP organized the 1989 attack on La Tablada Regiment
, where 39 people were killed. Gorriarán Merlo was arrested in Mexico
in 1995. He was sentenced to life imprisonment
in 1996 and spent eight years in the Devoto Prison.
While in prison he wrote a memoir of his guerrilla years, which was published in January 2003. Along with other former guerrilla leaders, he was pardon
ed in May 2003 by President Eduardo Duhalde
.
In November 2003 he went to Rosario
and met the son of Stanley Sylvester, former manager of the Swift meat packing plant, who was the first person kidnapped by the ERP, in 1971. Sylvester had died weeks earlier. Gorriarán Merlo claimed that he had always wanted to speak to him and apologize.
Near the end of his life he publicly stated that he would not choose to return to armed struggle, and tried to obtain political support to run for president
in 2007. To this end, in 2005, before the legislative elections, he launched the Party for Work and Development (Partido del Trabajo y el Desarrollo) before a throng in Rosario, with the avowed goals of "closing the gap that separates the people from politics and the rich from the poor", "opposing neoliberalism
" and supporting "Latin American integration".
Gorriarán Merlo died of cardiac arrest
at the Hospital Argerich
in Buenos Aires while awaiting surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm
on 22 September 2006, at the age of 64.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
guerrilla insurgency leader, born in San Nicolás de los Arroyos
San Nicolás de los Arroyos
San Nicolás de los Arroyos is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the western shore of the Paraná River, 61 km from Rosario. It has about 138,000 inhabitants . It is the head town of the partido of the same name...
, Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
.
His family was affiliated with the Radical Civic Union
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party active in Argentina...
, but at the age of 27 Gorriarán Merlo joined the Trotskyist
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
Workers Revolutionary Party
Workers Revolutionary Party (Argentina)
The Workers' Revolutionary Party is a Trotskyist political party of Argentina, mainly active in the 1960s and 1970s....
(PRT), and then cofounded its armed wing, the People's Revolutionary Army
People's Revolutionary Army (Argentina)
The Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo was the military branch of the communist Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores in Argentina...
(ERP). He continued to be a leader of the PRT and the ERP through to the beginning of the Argentine Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
, spanning the governments of Héctor José Cámpora
Héctor José Cámpora
Héctor José Cámpora Demaestre was president of Argentina from 25 May until 13 July 1973.Cámpora, affectionately known as el Tío , was born in the city of Mercedes, in the Province of Buenos Aires...
(1973), Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
, and Isabel Martínez de Perón
Isabel Martínez de Perón
María Estela Martínez Cartas de Perón , better known as Isabel Martínez de Perón or Isabel Perón, is a former President of Argentina. She was also the third wife of another former President, Juan Perón...
, the last of which was cut short by the coup that started the National Reorganization Process
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
(1976).
Prior to joining the insurgency around 1970, he lived in Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, 70 km from his birthplace, and worked for two years in the Swift meat packing plant. In an interview he alleged that insurgent organizations gained thousands of recruits in the area at the time. There, Gorriarán Merlo led the first armed attack by ERP, the capture of Police Station No. 24, in 1971.
Soon afterwards, he was captured and imprisoned in Rawson, Chubut
Rawson, Chubut
Rawson is the capital of the Argentine province of Chubut, in Patagonia. It has about 26,000 inhabitants, and it is the head town of the Rawson Department, which has 122,000 inhabitants...
. He was part of the group of insurgents that organized the prison break that occurred during the night of 15 August 1972. Only six out of 110 were able to make a successful escape; 19 were recaptured and 16 were executed (see Trelew massacre
Trelew massacre
The Trelew Massacre was the retaliatory government killing of 16 militants of different Peronist and left organizations held as political prisoners in Rawson Penitentiary. The prisoners were recaptured after an escape attempt and subsequently shot down by marines led by Lieutenant Commander Luis...
). The successful ones, Gorriarán Merlo among them, fled to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, at that time under the Socialist administration of Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
, and from there were granted safe passage to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He returned to Argentina a few months later. In January 1974, he took part in the attack on the military base in Azul, Buenos Aires
Azul, Buenos Aires
Azul is the head city of the Azul Partido, located at the center of the Buenos Aires Province in Argentina, 300 km south of Buenos Aires. It has 63,000 inhabitants as per the ....
, where a military officer and his wife were killed.
After the fall of Isabel Perón in March 1976, the largely defeated ERP fled the country in order to reorganize itself. Gorriarán Merlo moved to Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
to collaborate with the Sandinistas
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...
, and in 1980 he was involved in the assassination of the deposed Nicaraguan dictator, Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle
Anastasio Somoza Debayle was a Nicaraguan leader and officially the 73rd and 76th President of Nicaragua from 1 May 1967 to 1 May 1972 and from 1 December 1974 to 17 July 1979. As head of the National Guard, he was de facto ruler of the country from 1967 to 1979...
, who was living in exile in Asunción
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
, Paraguay. In the last years of his life he was prohibited entry into Nicaragua, but enjoyed the support and friendship of the Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra is a Nicaraguan politician and revolutionary, currently serving as the 83rd President of Nicaragua, a position that he has held since 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 1985 and 1990, and for much of his life, has been a leader in the Sandinista...
.
In 1985, Gorriarán Merlo founded the All For the Country Movement (Movimiento Todos por la Patria, MTP). He returned to Argentina in 1987. The MTP organized the 1989 attack on La Tablada Regiment
1989 attack on La Tablada Regiment
The 1989 attack on La Tablada Regiment was an assault on the military barracks located in La Tablada, in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, by 40 members of Movimiento Todos por la Patria , headed by former ERP leader Enrique Gorriarán Merlo. 39 people were killed and 60 injured when the...
, where 39 people were killed. Gorriarán Merlo was arrested in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1995. He was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
in 1996 and spent eight years in the Devoto Prison.
While in prison he wrote a memoir of his guerrilla years, which was published in January 2003. Along with other former guerrilla leaders, he was pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
ed in May 2003 by President Eduardo Duhalde
Eduardo Duhalde
-External links:...
.
In November 2003 he went to Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
and met the son of Stanley Sylvester, former manager of the Swift meat packing plant, who was the first person kidnapped by the ERP, in 1971. Sylvester had died weeks earlier. Gorriarán Merlo claimed that he had always wanted to speak to him and apologize.
Near the end of his life he publicly stated that he would not choose to return to armed struggle, and tried to obtain political support to run for president
President of Argentina
The President of the Argentine Nation , usually known as the President of Argentina, is the head of state of Argentina. Under the national Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.Through Argentine history, the...
in 2007. To this end, in 2005, before the legislative elections, he launched the Party for Work and Development (Partido del Trabajo y el Desarrollo) before a throng in Rosario, with the avowed goals of "closing the gap that separates the people from politics and the rich from the poor", "opposing neoliberalism
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
" and supporting "Latin American integration".
Gorriarán Merlo died of cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
at the Hospital Argerich
Hospital Argerich
Hospital Argerich is a hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina....
in Buenos Aires while awaiting surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a localized dilatation of the abdominal aorta exceeding the normal diameter by more than 50 percent, and is the most common form of aortic aneurysm...
on 22 September 2006, at the age of 64.