Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal (23 September 1924 – 10 January 1978) was a Nicaraguan journalist and publisher. He was the editor of La Prensa, the only significant opposition newspaper to the long rule of the Somoza family. He was a 1977 laureate of the Maria Moors Cabot Prize of Columbia University in New York. He married Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, who later went on to become President of Nicaragua (1990–1997). In 1978, he was shot to death, one of the precipitating events of the overthrow of the Somoza regime the following year.
Background
Chamorro was a son of Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Zelaya and wife, Margarita Cardenal Argüello. He was the paternal grandson of Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Bolaños and wife, Ana María Zelaya Bolaños. He was the maternal grandson of Salvador Cardenal Saborío (son of Pedro Cardenal Ayerdi and wife, Ana María Saborío Bonilla), and wife Isabel Argüello Prado (daughter of Pedro Argüello Argüello and wife Leocadia Parado y Méndez). Both were relatives of Leonardo Argüello, 66th President of Nicaragua. His great-grandparents were Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Alfaro, 39th President of Nicaragua, and his wife, María de la Luz Bolaños Bendaña.
He had two brothers, Jaime and Xavier, and two sisters, Ligia and Ana María.
Assassination and legacy
Chamorro wrote a letter in 1975 to Somoza: "I am waiting, with a clear conscience, and a soul at peace, for the blow you are to deliver." Three years later, in January 1978, Chamorro was killed by unknown gunmen who pulled up beside him in a car and opened fire with shotguns. Somoza claimed Chamorro was assassinated by Pedro Ramos, a Cuban-American entrepreneur whose business had been attacked by La Prensa. At the time, however, the Chamorro family and the wealthy opposition held that Somoza had ordered him killed. Ramos took refuge in Miami, where he died. He was tried in absentia and found guilty of murder after the revolution, but he never returned to Nicaragua. At his funeral, thousands of people followed the coffin from Managua's Oriental Hospital to the Chamorro family home, taking turns carrying it.
Following Chamorro's murder, an estimated 30,000 people rioted in the streets of Managua. Cars were set on fire and several buildings belonging to the Somoza family were attacked. A general strike was called. Outside the capital, unrest broke out in a number of cities and towns, particularly in areas where National Guardsmen had massacred peasant farmers during the counterinsurgency effort. The government responded with further violence and reintroduced martial law censorship. During 1978, there were seven machine gun attacks and attempted bombings of La Prensa, now under the management of Chamorro's widow, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.
In 2000 he was named one of International Press Institute's 50 World Press Freedom Heroes of the past fifty years.
"Bloody Lineage: The Somozas" ("Estirpe Sangrienta: Los Somoza")
In 1957, "Bloody Lineage: The Somozas" was published by Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal in which he provides a detailed examination of the Somoza family's rule in Nicaragua. The book is regarded as an important source for understanding the political landscape of the time and the dynamics of power in the country. In this book, Chamorro recounts his experiences, including periods of imprisonment and conflict, to provide context to the regime's impact on society. The book combines personal narrative with historical analysis, highlighting the era's political challenges and social conditions while reflecting on themes of institutional governance, civil rights, and the pursuit of justice, contributing to discussions on Nicaragua's political history and aspirations for reform.
See also
- Chamorro (family)