judicial

Politics behind García’s death

A man who led a failed coup attempt against Omar Torrijos says that a 1970 murder was payback.

la prensa

Daniel delgado diamante1112766

Amado Sanjur, a retired colonel of the defunct National Guard who was part of the group that rose up against Omar Torrijos in December 1969, said that Corporal Andres García was murdered in 1970 because “he was considered one of the followers of the so-called traitors to the revolutionary process.”

In a letter sent to La Prensa from the town of Alexandria in the U.S. state of Virginia, where he has lived since 1970, Sanjur said that “El Zorro García,” as García was known, was one of his subordinates. He added that family and friends were persecuted for showing loyalty to him, instead of to Torrijos.

In his letter, Sanjur explained that he met García in 1961, when he was appointed as head of the military area of Colón, which was commanded by Omar Torrijos.

He added that, while serving at the headquarter in Colón, he witnessed García being beaten and discharged for opposing an order “to do something improper.”

Sanjur said that he himself asked to be transferred from Colón to avoid becoming involved with a series of acts of corruption that were committed and sponsored by higher military officials.

After his request, he was transferred to the headquarter of Panama Viejo, where he was able to reinstate García, where he gave him the nickname of “El Zorro.”

He also assured he met Jean Black, García’s wife, and the young soldier's family.

“García considered me his mentor and often consulted me,” the colonel said.

When García was murdered, Sanjur was a prisoner, having ben jailed after taking part in the failed coup against Torrijos.

Sanjur noted that his subordinates told him that, before dying, García had shouted: “I do not want to be part of a National Guard without Amado Sanjur.”

Sanjur added that, while he was on duty in the National Guard, he had never heard the name of Daniel Delgado Diamante.

After being convicted as a traitor without any judgement from the Public Ministry, Sanjur escaped from prison on June 8, 1970, and with the help of some friends, took refuge in the Canal Zone. A month later, he was able to move to the United States as a political refugee.