Sabino Augusto Montanaro Ciarleti (30 July 1922 – 10 September 2011) was a
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
an politician. He served as Minister of the Interior between 1966 and 1989 in Alfredo Stroessner's government. Montanaro was also the first Vice President of the Partido Colorado.
freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic Media (communication), media, especially publication, published materials, shoul ...
in Paraguay was severely limited. Several newspapers and radio stations, such as
ABC Color
''ABC Color'' is a Paraguayan daily newspaper that is part of Editorial Azeta S.A., a subsidiary of Grupo Azeta. It was established in 1967 by Aldo Zuccolillo. Founded in August 1967, it is often regarded as Paraguay's newspaper of record.
Histor ...
and Radio ÑandutÃ, faced restrictions and bans. In June 1979, Montanaro ordered the closure of the newspapers '' Ultima Hora'' and '' La Tribuna'' for a duration of 30 days.
The Catholic Church had begun distancing itself from the Stroessner regime since the 1960s. In 1969, the police invaded the Parroquia Cristo Rey in
Asunción
Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...
to arrest radical
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
excommunicated Montanaro. However, the church's Conferencia Episcopal Paraguaya avoided vocal criticism of the regime during the 1970s. Montanaro was once again excommunicated in 1971 by archbishop
Ismael Rolón
Ismael Blas Rolón Silvero S.D.B. (January 24, 1914 – June 8, 2010) was a Paraguayan prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. At the time of his death, he was one of the oldest Catholic bishops and the oldest bishop from Paraguay.
Early life
...
After the coup against Stroessner, Montanaro sought asylum in the Honduran consulate in Asunción. A few days later, he appeared in
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa ( )—formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz''—is the capital and largest city of Honduras along with its sister city, Comaya ...
, the capital of Honduras. In Honduras, he was compelled to abandon the
Catholic faith
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international instituti ...
and become an
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
preacher. During his asylum in Honduras, Paraguay demanded his extradition on two occasions. On 1 May 2009 he returned to Paraguay, stirring street protests. Facing an arrest warrant since 1997 and accused of torture-related crimes, protesters demanded he be jailed in Tacumbú prison. Due to his poor health condition, a judge ordered his detention in a hospital. On 24 June 2009 he was jailed in Tacumbú prison. Following a visit from the country's
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
judge, the court ordered his release from prison but kept him under house arrest.
Death
He died in Asunción on 10 September 2011, aged 89, from pulmonary complications.
It later became known that Montanaro's son opened an
offshore company
The term "offshore company" or "offshore corporation" is used in at least two distinct and different ways. An offshore company may be a reference to:
* a company, group or sometimes a division thereof, which engages in offshoring business proce ...
through the
Panamanian
Panamanians (; feminine ) are people identified with Panama, a country in Central America (which is the central section of the American continent), and with residential, legal, historical, or cultural connections with North America. For most Pan ...