Roberto Díaz Herrera

Roberto Díaz (born on June 27, 1937) was a Panamanian colonel under General Manuel Noriega and was most famous for his public denunciation of the Panamanian dictator in 1987. After General Noriega placed him under house arrest, Col. Díaz received much support from the Panamanian people, with many passing by his house in cars to shake his hand. He was imprisoned shortly thereafter and eventually given political asylum in Venezuela. After spending 11 years of exile in various Latin American countries, Díaz returned to Panama. In 2004, he was chosen by the newly elected Panamanian president, Martín Torrijos, to be the country's ambassador to Peru.

Biography

Early life

Born seventh of nine siblings in Santiago, the capital city of the Panamanian province of Veraguas, Roberto Díaz was raised by his parents Anastacio Díaz Jiménez, who was a teacher, and Gregoria Herrera, who worked as a housewife and at a local store selling bread and desserts.

At age 15, he studied in Lima, Peru, at the Military School of Leoncio Prado, while also attending classes at the Escuela de Oficiales de la Guardia Civil (Official School of the Civil Guard).

Military Life

Beginning with a rank of second lieutenant, Roberto Díaz pursued a military career in the only institution of its kind in Panama, Guardia Nacional de Panamá (National Guard of Panama). He rose quickly in rank to colonel and then to General Chief of Staff to the military, which had changed its name to Fuerzas de Defensa de Panamá (Panama Defense Forces). At that time, he was second in command of Panama's military under the command of Manuel Noriega.

In June 1987, in an interview with Panama's leading opposition newspaper, La Prensa, Colonel Díaz made a strong declaration against Noriega. He accused Noriega of narcotrafficking, planning the assassination of Omar Torrijos with the help of the CIA, ordering the killing of Hugo Spadafora, and orchestrating fraud in the 1984 presidential election. These allegations led many people in Panama to protest.

Fifty days after the televised interview, Noriega placed Colonel Díaz under house arrest. Many people went to Diaz's house to shake his hand in order to show their support for him. The street to his house was frequently lined with the cars of his supporters.

Despite public support for Colonel Díaz, Noriega ordered his house stormed on July 27, 1987 to place him in prison.^[1] After spending six months in jail, Díaz was sent into exile on December 24 after several countries negotiated his release from prison.

Years of exile

At the beginning of his exile from Panama, Roberto Díaz spent about six years in Venezuela, which granted him political asylum. Later, he spent time in Argentina, and finally Ecuador. During this time, he kept busy by travelling as a negotiator to many countries, such as Cuba, Libya, France, and Yugoslavia. He also served as a political representative in Israel, Algeria, Venezuela, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

Additionally, Roberto Díaz studied at the ULACIT in Panama where he earned a law degree.

Return to political influence

In 2004, Martín Torrijos, a second cousin of Roberto Díaz, was elected president of Panama and chose Díaz to serve as ambassador to Peru.

See also

• Operation Just Cause

References

• Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Website

Notes

1. ^ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights website