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A death squad is an armed squad of men that kills civilians. These groups tend to commit extrajudicial assassinations / extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances of persons. These killings are often in secrecy. Depending on variable political and social conditions these include groups, dissidents, suspected sympathizers or members of rebel groups, street children, land reformists, activists, and others. Image File history File links Circle-question. ... Extrajudicial punishment is physical punishment without the permission of a court or legal authority, and as such, constitutes a violation of basic human rights (such as the right to due process and humane treatment). ... Assassin and Assassins redirect here. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Extrajudicial punishment. ... Disappear redirects here. ... Killings is a short tale written by Andre Dubus in 1979. ... Secrecy is the practice of sharing information among a group of people, which can be as small as one person, while hiding it from others. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Death squads are often, but not exclusively, associated with the violent political repression of dictatorships, totalitarian states and similar regimes. They typically have the tacit or express support of the state, as a whole or in part (see state terrorism). Death squads may comprise a secret police force, paramilitary group or official government units with members drawn from the military or the police. They may also be organized as vigilante groups. Political repression is the oppression or persecution of an individual or group for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing their ability to take part in the political life of society. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by a dictator. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Totalitarianism is a term employed by some scientists, especially those in the field of comparative politics, to describe modern regimes in which the state regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... This article is about secret police as organizations. ... A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. ... For the aircraft, see A-5 Vigilante. ...

Death squads may be distinguished from terrorist groups in that their violent actions are used to maintain the power of a local or national elite, rather than intending to disrupt their existing authority per se. Foreign powers may aid states where death squads are active, usually without the international criticism that would be involved when supporting states that support terrorism. Some death squads, including those with links with corrupt elites, have been classified as terrorist organizations. Terrorist redirects here. ... For other uses, see Elite (disambiguation). ... Authority- is a very talented rocknroll band out of Columbia, S.C. This power rock trio has its roots in rock, funk, hardcore, and a dash of hip hop. ...

Death squads can go out on patrol willing to kill and looking for trouble or seeking to commit premeditated attacks against political opponents, alleged rebel sympathizers and any other people deemed "dangerous" or simply "undesirable" (e.g.. such as homeless and squatters) by authorities or local interest groups. They may also act to remove portions of the civilian populations whose existence is perceived as not serving the purposes of the ruling elite. Death squads have been used in contexts of politicides. A homeless person in Paris. ... The Chien Rouge in Lausanne, a squat held in the old hospital. ... Politicide is a punk band formed in the early 80s. ...

History

Although the term "death squad" did not rise to notoriety until the activities of such groups in Central and South America during the 1970s and 1980s became widely known, death squads have been employed under different guises throughout history. The term was first used during the Battle of Algiers by Paul Aussaresses ^[1]. DVD cover The Battle of Algiers (in Italian, La Battaglia di Algeri) is a 1966 black-and-white film by Gillo Pontecorvo based on the Algerian War of Independence from 1954 until 1962 against the French occupation. ... Paul Aussaresses (b. ...

Recent use

As of 2006, death squads have continued to be active in several locations. They were on the rise through the 1960s and 1970s. However, they now appear to have been on the decline since about 1981 . Some known recent centers of activity include Chechnya, Congo, Colombia, Iraq and Sudan, among others. The Chechen Republic (IPA: ; Russian: , Chechenskaya Respublika; Chechen: , Noxçiyn Respublika), or, informally, Chechnya (; Russian: ; Chechen: , Noxçiyçö), sometimes referred to as Ichkeria, Chechnia, Chechenia or Noxçiyn, is a federal subject of Russia. ...

Argentina

Alianza Anticomunista Argentina, a far-right death squad mainly active during the "Dirty War". The Alianza Anticomunista Argentina (Argentine Anticommunist Alliance, usually known as Triple A or AAA) was a far-right death squad active in Argentina during the mid-1970s, linked to the military junta led by Jorge Rafael Videla. ... Poster by the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo NGO with photos of disappeared. This article especially refers to the Argentine dirty war; however, the term has been used in other contexts, for example in Morocco; see also lead years. ...

Bolivia

In the late 1960s death squads killed several thousand people.^{[citation needed]}

Brazil

Further information: History of Brazil (1964–1985)

In Brazil, death squads first appeared during the seventies. They were linked to the military police (the most famous one being the infamous "Scuderie LeCoq") or civilian police forces (including Mão Branca which means the "White Hand"). They targeted criminals who had become famous for their crimes and for evading the police or those involved in the killing of policemen (the most notorious case involved Lúcio Flávio, an infamous criminal known as "fair-haired devil"). The military maintained power in Brazil from 1964 until March 1985 because of political struggles within the regime and Brazilian elite. ...

Scuderie LeCoq, for instance, took its name from a deceased policeman whose death was connected to organised crime. A rather surprising (and uncommon) characteristic of both these death squads are their fondness for publicity: LeCoq's members were photographed (or appeared in public) wearing black ski masks and black jackets featuring an emblem composed of a skull, a rose and a revolver. Mão Branca's members used to leave notes detailing the crimes for which the victim had been murdered (the name came from the fact that no fingerprints could ever be found, suggesting that the murderers wore gloves). These death squads were tolerated (if not outright supported) by the military government and were employed to spread fear among the régime's opponents (often likened to common criminals). After the fall of the military regime, they slowly faded into obscurity but sometimes resurfaces, especially LeCoq. However, the phenomenon has become both more widespread and less organised. They still target petty criminals but also anyone homeless, including street children and beggars. While in the past they got their ideological and logistic support from the military, they are now motivated by the corporatism within the police forces and fuelled by corruption (in urban areas, shop owners pay death squads to carry out murders while in rural areas, it is farmers that pay to get rid of the landless). The Brazilian death squads are now more a criminal phenomenon than a type of illegal policing. Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ...

Cambodia

Assassinations and mass killings of Vietnamese in the late 1970s. The Khmer Rouge began employing death squads to purge Cambodia of non-communists after taking over the country in 1975 . They rounded up their victims, questioned them and then took them out to killing fields to be shot or beaten to death. More than 1.6 million Cambodians fell victim before the Khmer Rouge were overthrown. Flag of Democratic Kampuchea Photos of genocide victims on display at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum The Khmer Rouge (Khmer: ) was the ruling political party of Cambodia -- which it renamed to Democratic Kampuchea -- from 1975 to 1979. ... Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ...

Central and South America

Death squad activity became widespread in Guatemala and El Salvador during the 1980s, where plain-clothes assassins would murder dissidents fingered as "subversives" under the pretext of counter-insurgency. The Salvadorian death squads typically operated in full cooperation with the splinter elements from the National Armed Forces, most of their targets were suspected members from FMLN, BPR, FAPU and other left wing organisations / members and their sympathizers as well as undermine civilian president José Napoleón Duarte. In addition to murdering those labelled guerilla sympathizers, death squads were also known to massacre whole villages suspected of harboring guerrillas, especially in Guatemala. One well-known death squad that still operates in Central America is the Salvadoran-based Sombra Negra ("Black Shadow" in Spanish), which consists of vigilantes that hunt down suspected criminals and gang members (see MS-13). The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Counter-insurgency is the combating of insurgency, by the government (or allies) of the territory in which the insurgency takes place. ... José Napoleón Duarte Fuentes (November 23, 1925 – February 23, 1990) was a Salvadoran political figure who, from 1980 to 1982, led the civil-military Revolutionary Government Junta that took power in a 1979 coup détat. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

Chile

Further information: Chile under Pinochet and Operation Condor

The Caravan of Death, an Army death squad, roamed Chile beginning in October 1973, following Augusto Pinochet's American backed coup which overthrew the regime of President Salvador Allende. In particular, members of Chile's Socialist and Communist Parties were targeted, including two infantrymen and several Army officers. Of these included: Brigade General Sergio Arellano Stark; Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Arredondo Gonzalez, later director of the Infantry School; Mayor Pedro Espinoza Bravo, an Army Intelligence officer, later operations chief of the DINA secret police; Captain Marcelo Moren Brito, later commander of Villa Grimaldi, the torture camp; Lieutenant Armando Fernandez Lario, later a DINA operative and mastermind behind the assassination of Orlando Letelier and others. The group traveled from prison to prison in a Puma helicopter, executing political prisoners with small arms and bladed weapons. The victims were then buried in unmarked graves. In June 1999, judge Juan Guzmán Tapia ordered the arrest of five retired generals. General Augusto Pinochet was head of the military dictatorship that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. ... For other uses of Operation Condor, please see Operation Condor (disambiguation) Operation Condor (Spanish: Operación Cóndor, Portuguese: Operação Condor) was a campaign of political repressions involving assassination and intelligence operations officially implemented starting in 1975 by the right-wing dictatorships that dominated the Southern Cone in South... Generals Sergio Arellano Stark and Augusto Pinochet a few hours before the departure of the Caravan of Death (September 1973) The Caravan of Death was a Chilean Army squad that, following the Chilean coup of 1973, flew by helicopter from south to north of Chile between September 30 and October... Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte[1] (November 25, 1915 – December 10, 2006) was a Chilean Dictator from 1974 to 1990. ... Salvador Allende Gossens[1] (July 26, 1908 – September 11, 1973) was President of Chile from November 1970 until his suicide during the coup détat of September 11, 1973. ... Juan Salvador Guzmán Tapia was born on April 22, 1939 in Salvador, in a Chilean diplomat family, which acclaimed Augusto Pinochets coup détat in 1973. ...

China

Mao Zedong made use of the Red Guards to assassinate, imprison, and terrorise millions of suspected political opponents during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. “Mao” redirects here. ... Red Guards refer to socialist or communist militia formed to instigate, support, or defend communist revolutions. ... The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution [1] in the Peoples Republic of China was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China that manifested into wide-scale social, political, and economic chaos, which grew to include large sections of Chinese society and eventually brought the entire country to... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ...

Colombia

In Colombia, the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC), as well as previous and later paramilitary groups, have been described as death squads due to aspects of their modus operandi and the support or tolerance that they have received from members of the Colombian security forces and of society in different circumstances. Links between paramilitaries and members of official security forces continue to exist. Several Colombian paramilitary groups began operating as death squads in the 1980s and later ones have often continued to do so, but there are disagreements among analysts as to the accuracy of such a classification in contemporary times. It has been argued that the AUC and newer groups have developed into more complex and autonomous entities than traditional death squads, partially because the fragmentation of the larger drug cartels (some of which sponsored or co-sponsored paramilitary groups) has allowed them to directly participate in the illegal drug trade. This has contributed to giving such groups greater degrees of economic, social and political autonomy. Death squad actions would be one part of their overall activities. Separately, private death squads also exist on a local level, unrelated to the AUC/paramilitary framework. Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Modus operandi (often used in the abbreviated form MO) is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as mode of operation. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... These lollipops were found to contain heroin when inspected by the US DEA The illegal drug trade is a worldwide black market consisting of production, distribution, packaging and sale of illegal psychoactive substances. ...

Cuba

Batista in the 1950s maintained BRAC secret police that conducted death squad activities.^{[citation needed]} General Ruben Fulgencio Batista (IPA: , ) y Zaldívar (January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was the de facto military leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1940, and thus the eminence grise of Cuban politics for that period of time, and the de jure President of Cuba from 1940 to 1944... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Brač is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, with an area of 396 km², making it the third largest island in the Adriatic, and thus the largest in Dalmatia. ... This article is about secret police as organizations. ...

Dominican Republic

Police operated the La Banda death squad in the mid-1960s. ^{[citation needed]} Police in the Dominican Republic operated the La Banda death squad in the mid-1960s. ...

East Timor

The Indonesian government operated death squads throughout this territory.

El Salvador

Main articles: Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, Dorothy Kazel, Jean Donovan, Oscar Romero.

During the Salvadoran civil war, death squads achieved notoriety when far-right vigilantes assassinated Archbishop Óscar Romero for his social activism in March 1980 . In December 1980, three American nuns and a lay worker were raped and murdered by a military unit later found to have been acting on specific orders. Death squads were instrumental in killing hundreds of peasants and activists. Because the death squads involved were found to have been soldiers of the Salvadoran military, which was receiving U.S. funding and training from American advisers during the Carter administration, these events prompted outrage in the U.S. and led to a temporary cutoff in military aid from the Reagan administration.^{[citation needed]} Ita Ford, M.M. (April 23, 1940 - December 2, 1980) was a Roman Catholic Maryknoll Sister missionary to Bolivia, Chile and El Salvador. ... Maura Clarke (January 13, 1931 – December 2, 1980) was an American Roman Catholic Maryknoll nun and missionary to Nicaragua and El Salvador. ... Dorothy Kazel (June 30, 1939 – December 2, 1980) was a Roman Catholic Ursuline nun and missionary to El Salvador. ... Jean Donovan (April 10, 1953 – December 2, 1980) was a Roman Catholic lay missionary to Peru and El Salvador. ... Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (August 15, 1917 – March 24, 1980), commonly known as Monseñor Romero, was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church in El Salvador. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (August 15, 1917 – March 24, 1980), commonly known as Monseñor Romero, was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church in El Salvador. ... For other persons named Jimmy Carter, see Jimmy Carter (disambiguation). ... “Reagan” redirects here. ...

France

The French military used death squads during the French-Algerian War from 1954 to 1962.^[2]

Germany

During the 1930s, the leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler made extensive use of death squads, starting with the infamous Night of the Long Knives and reaching a peak with the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 . Following the frontline units, the Nazis brought along four travelling death squads called Einsatzgruppen (Einsatzgruppe-A through D) to hunt down and kill Jews, Communists and other so-called undesirables in the occupied areas. This was the first of the massacres that made up the Holocaust. Typically, the victims, who included many women and children, were forcibly marched from their homes to open graves or ravines before being shot. Many others suffocated in specially designed poison trucks called gas vans. Between 1941 and 1944 , the Einsatzgruppen killed about 1.2 million Soviet Jews, as well as tens of thousands of suspected political dissidents, POWs, and uncounted numbers of Romany. Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Hitler redirects here. ... The Night of the Long Knives (German: Nacht der langen Messer) or Operation Hummingbird, took place in Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when at least eighty-five people, mostly in the Storm Division (SA) (German: Sturmabteilung), were murdered by the Nazi regime. ... A member of Einsatzgruppe D is just about to shoot a Jewish man kneeling before a filled mass grave in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, in 1942. ... This article is about communism as a form of society, as an ideology advocating that form of society, and as a popular movement. ... “Shoah” redirects here. ... A member of Einsatzgruppe D is just about to shoot a Jewish man kneeling before a filled mass grave in Vinnitsa, Ukraine, in 1942. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... Romany (or Romani) relates to: The Roma: a people sometimes pejoratively called Gypsies. Their language Romany was the pseudonym of a broadcaster and writer of Roma descent, George Bramwell Evens. ...

Guatemala

Guatemala has had death squads active since the 1950s up through the 1990s.^{[citation needed]}

Haiti

In Haiti, the paramilitary death squad SIN was organized in the 1980s to use military force against narcotics smugglers, it became used as a death squad for political goals. For other uses, see Sin (disambiguation). ...

In Haiti the paramilitary death squad Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti (FRAPH), organized in mid-1993, terrorized the supporters of Jean-Bertrand Aristide by murder, massacres, public beatings, arson raids on poor neighborhoods and severing limbs by machete. Its goal was to destroy popular support for Aristide and his Lavalas political movement through indiscriminate terror. Aristide had been elected in a landslide victory in 1991 , enjoying great popularity among the Haitian poor, but served only eight months before being deposed in a military coup. The junta that ruled from 1991 to 1994 gave free reign to both military and FRAPH repression. Several thousand Haitians either fled to the Dominican Republic or Florida, where the U.S. was forced to deal with a severe refugee problem. The Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti (FRAPH) (in French: Front pour lAvancement et le Progrès Haïtien) was a paramilitary death squad organized with U.S. backing in Haiti in mid-1993 to terrorize the Haitian people by murder, public beatings, arson raids on poor... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born July 15, 1953) is a Haitian politician and former Roman Catholic priest who was President of Haiti in 1991, again from 1994 to 1996, and then from 2001 to 2004. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Fanmi Lavalas is a populist social democracy political party in Haiti. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ...

During the 1992 U.S. presidential campaign, candidate Bill Clinton had promised to restore democracy to Haiti if elected. Inaugurated in 1993, the administration had to deal with a continuing refugee problem in Florida. Condemning FRAPH and the military regime as nothing more than "armed thugs," the administration cooperated with a multinational force and dispatched 15,000 troops sent and a high-level negotiating team (Jimmy Carter, Sam Nunn, and Colin Powell) to force the military to step down, restoring Aristide to power in August 1994 after international sanctions and pressure had failed to produce any results. Although the presence of U.S. and UN peacekeepers helped restore calm and security, this success, claims researcher Lisa A. McGowan, was undermined by their refusal to disarm the disbanded Haitian military and paramilitaries. As McGowan wrote,

"USAID is providing funding and technical assistance to strengthen Haiti’s judicial system, yet the U.S. has refused Haïtian government requests to deport FRAPH leader Constant, who was imprisoned in the U.S. and wanted in Haïti on murder charges. Instead, the U.S. Justice Department released him from prison. Furthermore, the Clinton administration refuses to give the Haïtian government uncensored copies of the documents seized from FRAPH headquarters, raising suspicions that the documents contain incriminating information about CIA and other U.S. collaboration with Haïtian paramilitaries. Documents that were obtained revealed, for example, that the CIA knew that Constant was directly implicated in the 1993 murder of Justice Minister Guy Malory, yet kept him on their payroll until the return of Aristide in 1994. [2]" The United States Agency for International Development (or USAID) is the US government organization responsible for most non-military foreign aid. ...

It subsequently emerged that the US government had in fact played a significant role in establishing and funding FRAPH. The investigative journalist Allan Nairn broke the story in an article published in The Nation in 1994. [3] Nairn based his findings on interviews with military, paramilitary and intelligence officials in Haïti and the United States as well as Green Beret commanders and internal documents from the U.S. and Haïtian armies. Nairn spoke directly with Constant himself, then being held in a Maryland jail, shortly before he was due to be deported to Haïti. According to Constant, he started the group that became FRAPH at the urging of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and that even after the U.S. occupation got under way in September 1994, "other people from my organization were working with the DIA.", aiding in operations directed against "subversive activities". [4] When Nairn tried to follow up (Constant insisted on a face-to-face meeting), the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service denied him access, explaining that Constant had had a change of heart and no longer wanted to talk.[5]

Constant later confirmed in 1995 on CBS's "60 Minutes" that the CIA paid him about $700 a month and that he created FRAPH while on the CIA payroll. According to Constant, the FRAPH had been formed "with encouragement and financial backing from the DIA and the CIA." (Miami New Times, 26 February 2004) [6]

In February 1996, the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) announced that it had obtained thousands of pages of newly declassified U.S. documents, which they claim revealed that the U.S. government recognized the brutal nature of FRAPH but denied it in public. Describing the attitude of US government officials, CCR lawyer Michael Ratner said:

"...they were talking out of both sides of their mouth. They were talking about restoring democracy to Haïti, but at the same time, they were undermining democracy in the coup period -- at times supporting a group that committed terrorist acts against the Haïtian people." [7]

According to Ratner, U.S. suspicions of Aristide’s leftist populism prodded them to seek support from even the most brutal anti-Aristide elements. Observers such as Ratner, Nairn and Lisa McGowan have argued that covert assistance to antidemocratic forces such as FRAPH was used to pressure Ariside into abandoning his ambitious program for social reform and adopt harsh economic reforms when the U.S. returned him to power.

According to Bill O'Neil, consultant for the New York-based National Coalition for Haïtian Rights, though the CIA and the Pentagon encouraged FRAPH early on, "within a few weeks or a few months, [U.S. support] was largely jettisoned." O'Neil, though, expressed concern that the U.S.'s reluctance to completely sever relations with FRAPH until 1995 (when Constant was arrested) may have allowed several high-profile figures to go into hiding. [8]

Although Aristide was indeed restored to the presidency through U.S. military intervention in 1994, he was again removed from the presidency, this time through U.S. military intervention in 2004. At this point, the death squads were quickly reconstituted and resumed their usual operations against the organizations of the poor majority.

Honduras

Honduras had death squads active through the 1980s, the most notorious of which was Battalion 316. Hundreds of people, teachers, politicians, and union bosses were assassinated by government-backed forces. Battalion 316 received substantial support and training from the United States Central Intelligence Agency.^[3] Battalion 316 was a Honduran Army unit responsible for carrying out hundreds of political assassinations and widespread torture of suspected political opponents of the government during the 1980s. ... “CIA” redirects here. ...

Indonesia

Indonesia used death squads to rub out the PKI the Indonesian Communist Party in the 1960s. The use of death squads continued through the 1980s.^{[citation needed]} In cryptography, a public key infrastructure (PKI) is an arrangement which provides for third-party vetting of, and vouching for, user identities. ...

Iran

During the 1950s a relatively moderate regime was put in power through the efforts of the CIA. Regardless, this regime of the Shah used SAVAK death squads to kill thousands. After the revolution death squads were used by the new regime. In 1983 the CIA gave one of the leaders of Iran Khomeni information on KGB agents in Iran. This information was probably used.^{[citation needed]} The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Ayatollah Khomeini founded the first modern Islamic republic Ayatollah Seyyed Ruhollah Khomeini (آیت‌الله روح‌الله خمینی in Persian) (May 17, 1900 – June 3, 1989) was an Iranian Shia cleric and the political... This article is about the KGB of the Soviet Union. ...

The Iranian regime later used death squads occasionally throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s however by the 2000s it has appeared to almost entirely if not all cease their operation. This partial Westernization of the country can be seen paralleling similar events in Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, and Northern Iraq beginning in the late 1990s.^{[citation needed]} This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

See also: Chain Murders of Iran

The Chain murders[1][2] (قتل‌های زنجیره‌ای) of Iranian intellectuals or 1998 Serial Murders of Dissident Intellectuals were a series of murders and disappearances[3][4] during President Mohammad Khatamis first term, from about 1996 to 2001. ...

Iraq

Iraq was formed by British partitioning and domination of various tribal land in the early 20th century. The British later departed. They left behind a national government led from Baghdad that was mostly comprised of Sunni ethnicity in key positions of power that ruled over an ad-hoc nation splintered by tribal affiliations. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ...

This leadership used death squads and committed massacres in Iraq throughout the 20th century, culuminating in the dictatorship of Saddam Hussien.^[4]

The country has since become increasingly partitioned following the Iraq War into three zones: a Kurdish ethnic zone to the north, a Sunni center and the Shia ethnic zone to the south. For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... Look up Kurdish in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ...

The secular socialist Baathist leadership were replaced with a provisional and later constitutional government that included leadership roles for the Shia and Kurdish peoples of this nation. This paralleled the development of ethnic militias by the Shia, Sunni, and the Kurdish Peshmerga. This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... Baath Party flag The Ba‘ath Parties (also spelled Baath or Ba‘th; Arabic: اﻟﺒﻌﺚ) comprise political parties representing the political face of the Ba‘ath movement. ... Peshmerga, peshmarga or peshmerge (Kurdish: pêşmerge) is the term used by Kurds to refer to armed Kurdish fighters. ...

There were death squads formed by members of every ethnicity.^[5]

In the national capital of Baghdad some members of the now Shia police department and army formed unofficial, unsanctioned, but long tolerated death squads.^[6] They possibly have links to the Interior Ministry and are popularly known as the 'black crows'. These groups operated night or day. They usually arrested people, then either tortured^[7] or killed them.^[8]

The victims of these attacks were predominantly young males who had probably been suspected of being members of the Sunni insurgency. Agitators such as Abdul Razaq al-Na’as, Dr. Abdullateef al-Mayah, and Dr. Wissam Al-Hashimi have also been killed. These killings are not limited to only men. Women and children have at times have also been arrested and or killed. ^[9] Some of these killings have also been simple robberies or other criminal activities. The US government and media was using the term insurgent as early as 1899 to describe rebels during the Philippine-American War, here Filipinos described as insurgents at the time lie in a trench after being executed by US forces. ...

A feature in a May 2005 issue of the magazine of The New York Times accused the U.S. military of modelling the "Wolf Brigade", the Iraqi interior ministry police commandos, on the death squads used in the 1980s to crush the Marxist insurgency in El Salvador.^[10] Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ...

Western news organizations such as Time and People disassembled this by focusing on the aspects such as probable militia membership, religious ethnicity, as well as uniforms worn by these squads rather than stating the United States backed Iraqi government had death squads active in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.^[11] Time (whose trademark is capitalized TIME) is a weekly American newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. ... ‹ The template below (Expand) is being considered for deletion. ... Lebanese Kataeb militia A Militia is an organization of citizens to provide defense, emergency or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. ...

Ireland

During the Irish War of Independence, Michael Collins mounted one of the most successful guerrilla campaigns in all of history. Using a hand picked crew of gunmen who were dubbed "The Twelve Apostles," Collins assassinated carefully selected officials of the Royal Irish Constabulary, the Dublin Metropolitan Police and British Intelligence. He referred to these tactics as "Selective Terrorism." After Bloody Sunday (1920), the British Government was forced to negotiate the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which guaranteed the independence of the Irish Free State in 1921. Combatants Irish Republic United Kingdom Commanders Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders Henry Hugh Tudor Strength Irish Republican Army c. ... Michael John (Mick) Collins (Irish: ; 16 October 1890 – 22 August 1922) was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance in the Irish Republic, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations, both as Chairman of the Provisional Government and Commander... The Squad also known as the Twelve Apostles, were an Irish Republican Army unit founded by Michael Collins to counter the British intelligence efforts during the Irish War of Independence, principally by means of assassination. ... The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was one of Irelands two police forces in the early twentieth century, alongside the Dublin Metropolitan Police. ... The Dublin Metropolitan Police was formed in 1836, after twenty years of attempts to create an effective policing force in Ireland Rural policing in Ireland began when Chief Secretary for Ireland, Robert Peel created the Peace Preservation Force in 1816. ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence [section] 6), or Her Majestys Secret Service or just the Secret Service, is the British external security agency. ... Bloody Sunday of 1920 was a day of violence in Dublin on November 21, 1920, during the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), which led to the deaths of more than 30 people. ... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the extra-judicial Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence. ... This article is about the prior state. ...

The use of Guerrilla warfare continued during the Irish Civil War which followed the signing of the Treaty. Michael Collins,ironically himself remains their most famous victim. The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) was a conflict between supporters and opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State, precursor of todays Republic of Ireland. ...

Ivory Coast

Death squads are active in this country.^[12]

This has been condemned by the US^[13] but appears to be difficult to stop.^[14]

Jamaica

There are death squads that have been active in this country.^[15][16]

Japan

During the Second World War, the Imperial Japanese Army also employed death squads to scare remainder populations under their occupation into submission. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) (Kyūjitai: 大日本帝國陸軍, Shinjitai: , Romaji: Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Imperial Japan from 1867 to 1945. ...

Korea

Any news reports of the use of death squads in Korea originates around the middle of the 20th century such as the Jeju Massacre^[17] and Taejon.^[18] There was also the multiple deaths that made the news 1980 in Gwangju.^[19] This was supported by the major supporter of South Korea the USA.^{[citation needed]} The Jeju massacre or the Cheju April 3rd massacre happened as a result of suppression against armed rebellion in Jeju island, South Korea, during the period of April 3, 1948 to September 21, 1954. ... This article is about Gwangju Metropolitan City in South Korea. ...

Mexico

In 1968 the Mexican Army killed hundreds of people in the Tlatelolco massacre. Through the 1970s and 1980s death squads were used against students, leftists, and activists. One of these squads was the Brigada Blanca. In 1997 about forty-five people were killed by a death squad in Chenalho.^[20] A 1978 silkscreen poster by Rini Templeton and Malaquías Montoya created to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the massacre. ...

In the state of Chihuahua more than four hundred women have been 'disappeared' since 1994.^[21] While a few perpetrators have been found, the majority of the members of the organization committing these 'disappearances' has remained underground. The disappearances continue as of 2007. For other uses, see Chihuahua (disambiguation). ...

Nicaragua

Death squads were active in this country throughout the 1970s and '80s.

During the 1980s, the Anti-Communist Contra guerillas in Nicaragua were described as death squads.^[22][23][24] The Contras were considered terrorists by the Marxist Sandinista regime, which alleged that their attacks targeted civilians. The Contras, who received money, training, and arms from the Argentine junta and then the American CIA, mounted raids which targeted northern Nicaragua, destroying military bases, bridges, and airstrips. They also attempted to weaken and disrupt the enemy regime by frequently kidnapping and assasinating Sandinista officials. A CIA training manual instructed the Contras, under the heading "Selective Use of Violence", to "neutralise carefully selected and planned targets such as court judges, police or state security officials, etc."^[25] The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Anti-communism is opposition to communist ideology, organization, or government, on either a theoretical or practical level. ... The Contras (from the Spanish term La Contra, short for movement of the contrarrevolucionarios) were the armed opponents of Nicaraguas Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle (which ended the Somoza dynasty), and continuing throughout the following decade. ... Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ... Terrorism refers to the use of violence for the purpose of achieving a political, religious, or ideological goal. ... Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... Sandinista! is also the name of a popular music album by The Clash. ... Look up junta in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ...

The Sandinista regime also made use of death squads to assassinate their political opponents at home and abroad. The most notable example took place in 1980, when a hand picked squad of assassins under the command of Argentine Maoist Enrique Gorriarán Merlo fired a bazooka into the car which was driving former Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle through the streets of Asunción, Paraguay. Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought (Chinese: 毛澤東思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), also called Marxism-Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM), is a variant of communism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893&#8211... Enrique Gorriarán Merlo Enrique Haroldo Gorriarán Merlo (18 October 1941 – 22 September 2006) was an Argentine revolutionary and guerrilla leader, born in San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Buenos Aires Province. ... For other uses, see Bazooka (disambiguation). ... Anastasio (Tachito) Somoza Debayle (December 5, 1925 – September 17, 1980) was officially the forty-fourth and forty-fifth President of Nicaragua from May 1, 1967 to May 1, 1972 and from December 1, 1974 to July 17, 1979. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Peru

During the internal conflict in Peru, several death squads operated in the country. These included the state-sponsored Rodrigo Franco Command and Grupo Colina. Shining Path, the Maoist guerrilla organization, also had special groups to carry out "selective annihilations" of both military and civilian targets. The Rodrigo Franco Command was a paramilitary organization that acted as a death squad in Peru from 1985 to 1990. ... Grupo Colina is a paramilitary death squad created in Peru under the administration of Alberto Fujimori. ... The Communist Party of Peru (Spanish: El Partido Comunista del Perú), more commonly known as the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso), is a Maoist guerrilla organization in Peru that launched the internal conflict in Peru in 1980. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... “Guerrilla” redirects here. ...

Philippines

New People's Army groups known as "Sparrow Units" were active in the mid-1980s, killing government officials, police personnel, military members, and anyone targeted for elimination. They were also supposedly part of an NPA operation called "Agaw Armas"(Filipino for "Stealing Weapons"), where they raided government armories as well as stealing weapons from slain military and police personnel. The New Peoples Army (NPA), is a paramilitary group fighting for communist revolution in the Philippines. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ...

Also see Davao death squads‎ The summary executions of victims in Davao by the Davao Death Squads is an ongoing problem. ...

Russia

During the Bolshevik Revolution and the Russian Civil War, Vladimir Lenin used the Cheka to murder members of the House of Romanov, the Russian nobility, officers of the White Army, Russian Orthodox priests and laity, and officials of the Russian Provisional Government. The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution, the first having been instigated by the events around the February Revolution. ... The Russian Civil War (1917-1922) began immediately after the collapse of the Russian provisional government and the Bolshevik takeover of Petrograd, rapidly intensifying after the dissolution of the Russian Constituent Assembly and signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. ... “Lenin” redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The House of Romanov or Romanese (Рома́нов, pronounced ) was the second and last imperial dynasty of Russia, which ruled the country for five generations from 1613 to 1761. ... Categories of Russian nobility and royalty Kniaz (as ancient ruler) Velikiy Kniaz Boyar Tsar (Emperor), Tsarina (Empress, Empress consort) Tsar family Tsarevich, Tsarevna Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Duke) (as title), Velikaya Knyaginya (Grand Duchess), Velikaya Knyazhna (Grand Duchess) Dvoryanstvo Titled Dvoryanstvo Earl Baron Kniaz (as title) Related article Table of Ranks... White army may refer to: The military arm of the White movement, a loose coalition of anti-Bolshevik forces in the Russian Civil War The Saudi Arabian National Guard The National Guard of Kuwait This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise... The Russian Orthodox Church (Русская Православная церковь) is that body of Christians who are united under the Patriarch of Moscow, who in turn is in communion with... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

During the late 1930s, the Soviet government under Joseph Stalin used death squads in the secret police force, the NKVD, to hunt down and kill suspected political opponents during the Great Purge. Mass graves from this era continue to be excavated by Memorial (society). Face The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... Soviet redirects here. ... Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Georgian: , Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jughashvili; Russian: , Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili) (December 18 [O.S. December 6] 1878[1] – March 5, 1953), better known by his adopted name, Joseph Stalin (alternatively transliterated Josef Stalin), was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Unions Central Committee from... The NKVD (Narodny Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del  ) (Russian: , ) or Peoples Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the leading secret police organization of the Soviet Union that was responsible for political repressions during Stalinism. ... The Great Purge (Russian: , transliterated Bolshaya chistka) is the name given to campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin during the late 1930s. ... Memorial (Russian: Мемориал) is an international historical and civil rights society that operates in a number of post-USSR states with the following missions stated in its charter: To promote mature civil society and democracy based on the rule of law and thus to prevent a return to totalitarianism; To assist...

The most infamous action of Soviet death squads in the 20th century was the Katyn massacre of 1940. Several thousand Polish Army officers were transferred by the NKVD from the GULAG and shot to death at Goat Hill and buried in mass graves inside the forests of Katyn. The transportation vehicles for this were given the nickname 'Black Ravens' by the local peasantry.^[26] This phrase echoes other nicknames given to other death squads. Katyn and KatyÅ„ redirect here. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Polish Army (Polish Wojsko Polskie) is the name applied to the military forces of Poland. ... The NKVD (Narodny Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del  ) (Russian: , ) or Peoples Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the leading secret police organization of the Soviet Union that was responsible for political repressions during Stalinism. ... Gulag ( , Russian: ) was the government body responsible for administering prison camps across the former Soviet Union. ... A mass grave is a grave containing more than one human corpse. ... Katyn is the name of both a village and a forest near Smolensk, Russia. ...

In addition, a large number of Anti-Communists in the West were also targeted for assassination. Two of the most notable victims were Lev Rebet and Stefan Bandera, Ukrainian nationalists who were assassinated by the KGB in Munich, West Germany. Both deaths remained unsolved until the 1961 defection of their murderer, Bogdan Stashynskyi. Anti-communism is opposition to communist ideology, organization, or government, on either a theoretical or practical level. ... Stepan Andriyovych Bandera (January 1, 1909–October 15, 1959) was a Ukrainian nationalist leader who headed the Ukrainian Nationalist Organisation (OUN). ... Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ... This article is about the KGB of the Soviet Union. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. ...

After the invasion of Afghanistan by the Russian military in the late 1970s and through the 1980s they continued to use death squads. The occasional massacre using rifles in a district here,^[27] the use of aerodynamic scatterable land mines (which appeared vaguely toy-like) to kill civilians in another.^{[citation needed]} The use of this strategy to conquer Afghanistan was rendered ineffective through the influence and support of Western Intelligence services such as the ISI the Pakistani secret service, the French SDECE, MI6, and the American CIA. This article is about the Pakistani intelligence agency. ... The Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage (External Documentation and Counter-Espionage Service, SDECE) was Frances external intelligence agency from November 6, 1944 to April 2, 1982 when it was replaced by the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure. ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ...

The Russian security apparatus continued to exist after the technical dissolution of the USSR in 1991.

The corruption of the Soviet era caused Boris Yeltsin's privatization policies to be manipulated by corrupt Party officials, black marketeers, and the Russian Mafia. The resulting looting of State businesses and natural resources has created an oligarchy wherein politicians, banks, and corporate officials behaved more like drug barons than pillars of the community. These conditions allowed criminal gangs to flourish during the 1990s. The new Russian elites are known to use death squads, and many gruesome murders of mobsters and high ranking politicians took place throughout the 1990s. More recently, however, they have become more subtle. “Yeltsin” redirects here. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into underground economy. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Oligarchy (Greek , Oligarkhía) is a form of government where political power effectively rests with a small, elite segment of society (whether distinguished by wealth, family or military powers). ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

The FSB^[28] is as of 2006 the primary arm used by the authorities for wet work in non-war zones.^{[29][30][31][32]} 'Disappearances' are not unknown in the capital Moscow.^[33][34] FSB The FSB (Federal Security Service) (Russian: ФСБ, Федера́льная слу́жба безопа́сности; Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti) is a domestic state security agency of the Russian Federation and the main successor of the Soviet Cheka, NKVD, and KGB. Its headquarters are in Lubyanka Square, Moscow. ... Wet work is an euphemism for murder or assassination by governmental agencies that came into use during the Cold War. ...

The Russian military continued to use death squads in war zones^[35][36][37] however after the cessation of official hostilities there were be less reports of their activities.^[38][39]

Rwanda

The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 was carried out by numerous death squads called the "Interahamwe" (see History of Rwanda). Members of these killing squads hunted down Tutsis and moderate Hutus in many towns and villages. There were less Tutsis death squads in operation around their single stronghold during this event. The "Interahamwe" typically chopped up their victims with machetes or shot them at close range. Many of these weapons were of French manufacture. The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutu sympathizers in Rwanda and was the largest atrocity during the Rwandan Civil War. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article discusses the history of Rwanda. ... The Tutsi are one of three native peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa: the other two being the Twa (or Watwa), a pygmy people, and the original inhabitants; and the Hutu (Wahutu), a Bantu-derived people. ... Hutu is the name given to one of the three ethnic groups occupying Burundi and Rwanda. ... The Tutsi are one of three native peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa: the other two being the Twa (or Watwa), a pygmy people, and the original inhabitants; and the Hutu (Wahutu), a Bantu-derived people. ...

The Rwandan Hutu armed forces often helped in these massacres, which killed from 650,000 to 800,000 before the Rwandese Patriotic Front took over the country in July of that year. The Rwandese Patriotic Front appeared to have stopped a genocide but they are not without guilt as well. In the following years many murderers were imprisoned but the sheer number of perpetrators prevented any fair judicial proceedings from taking place. In most cases most of the perpetrators were only imprisoned for a time or simply allowed their freedom under the principles of 'truth and reconciliation'. The Rwandese Patriotic Front or Rwandan Patriotic Front, abbreviated as RPF (also often referred to as FPR from French: Front patriotique rwandais), is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. ... The Rwandese Patriotic Front or Rwandan Patriotic Front, abbreviated as RPF (also often referred to as FPR from French: Front patriotique rwandais), is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. ...

South Africa

Death squads were also used by the preceding Apartheid governments against Black Africans. Agents of these groups were known as 'Vultures'.^{[citation needed]} During the 1980s, the South African Bureau of State Security also possessed very close ties to the Loyalist death squads in Northern Ireland, supplying them with a large number of clandestine arms shipments (see Ulster Defence Association, Ulster Volunteer Force). A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... South African Bureau Of State Security (BOSS) The South African Bureau Of State Security (BOSS) was established in 1969, and replaced by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in 1980. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Ulster Volunteer Force (more commonly referred to as the UVF) are a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. ...

On the other end of the struggle, Nelson Mandela's African National Congress and the South African Communist Party oversaw a campaign of terrorism and assassination directed against the Apartheid regime. This branch of the ANC was known as Umkhonto we Sizwe ("The Spear of the Nation"). Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (IPA: ) (born 18 July 1918) is the former President of South Africa, and the first to be elected in fully representative democratic elections. ... For political parties with similar names in other countries, see Northern Rhodesian African National Congress and Zambian African National Congress. ... SACP symbol South African Communist Party (SACP) is a political party in South Africa. ... Terrorist redirects here. ... Assassin and Assassins redirect here. ... For other uses of Umkhonto, see Umkhonto (disambiguation) Umkhonto we Sizwe (or MK), translated Spear of the Nation, was the military wing of the African National Congress (ANC). ...

Spain

Prior to World War II, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union fought a war by proxy during the Spanish Civil War. There were death squads used by both the Falangists and Loyalists during this conflict. Probably the most famous victim of Franco's death squads was the homosexual Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, who was shot twice in the posterior. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... It has been suggested that Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War be merged into this article or section. ... Falange was a totalitarian clerical fascist political organization founded by José Antonio Primo de Rivera in 1933 in opposition to the Second Spanish Republic. ... // Franco may refer to: Franco is a common surname in Portuguese and Spanish which derives from the word Frank, in reference to the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who invaded the modern-day France during the Migration period[1]. Political figures Francisco Franco, Spanish head of state. ... Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... Federico García Lorca Federico García Lorca (June 5, 1898 - August 19, 1936) was a Spanish poet and dramatist, also remembered as a painter, pianist, and composer. ...

The Loyalist death squads were heavily staffed by members of Stalin's OGPU and targeted members of the Catholic clergy and the Spanish nobility for assassination (see Red Terror (Spain)). The ranks of the Loyalist secret police included Erich Mielke, the future head of the East German Ministry of State Security. Ernest Hemingway would later heavily romanticize the Loyalist side of the conflict in his novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვი&#4314... Obedinennoe Gosudarstvennoe Politicheskoe Upravlenie (or OGPU) (Combined State Political Directorate, also translated as All Union State Political Board) was the name of the secret police in the Soviet Union in one of the stages of its development. ... The Spanish nobility is the system of titles and honours of Spain and of the former kingdoms that constitute it. ... During the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, many of the Republican forces were violently anti-clerical anarchists and Communists, whose assaults during what has been termed Spains red terror included sacking and burning monasteries and churches and killing 6,832 members of the Catholic clergy. ... Erich Fritz Emil Mielke (December 28, 1907 - May 21, 2000 in Berlin), was a German Communist. ... For the historical eastern German provinces, see Historical Eastern Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR), German Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), was a Communist Party-led state that existed from 1949 to 1990 in the former Soviet occupation zone of Germany. ... Logo of East Germanys Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS or Stasi) / Ministry for State Security This article is about Stasi, the secret police of East Germany. ... Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. ... For Whom the Bell Tolls is a 1940 novel by Ernest Hemingway. ...

In the modern era, G.A.L.(Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación) terrorist group were death squads illegally set up by officials within the Spanish government to fight ETA. They were active from 1983 until 1987, under PSOE's cabinets.^{[citation needed]} Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación (Antiterrorist Liberation Groups) were death squads illegally set up by officials within the Spanish government to fight ETA. They were active from 1983 until 1987, under PSOEs cabinets. ... For other uses, see ETA (disambiguation). ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ...

Syria

Syrian death squads were active during its occupation of Lebanon during the civil war from 1975 to 1990. The number of the 'disappeared' is put around 17,000.^[40][41]

The Syrian death squads causing 'disappearances' in Lebanon continued after the end of the civil war into at least the mid-1990s.^[42]

As recently as of 2005 there have been reports^[43] of death squad activity in Syria. The death squads exist even while the number of their executions are apparently far less than their counter-parts in Iraq.

Thailand

During the 1970s, the Krathin Daeng or Red Guard was one of the more well known death squads active in this country. Assassination of political and economic opponents took place including massacres.^{[citation needed]} The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... The term Red Guards may refer to one of the following. ...

Turkey

Death squads were used by the Ottoman Turks against ethnic Armenians and Greeks before, during and after the Armenian Genocide. They have allegedly also been used against the Kurds.^{[citation needed]} The Ottoman Turks were the ethnic subdivision of the Turkish people who dominated the ruling class of the Ottoman Empire. ... Armenian Genocide photo. ... Kurds are one of the Iranian peoples and speak Kurdish, a north-Western Iranian language related to Persian. ...

Uruguay

The DII has been used as a cover by death squads in this country since the late 1970s. For other meanings of DII, including the UKs Defence Information Infrastructure DII see the disambiguation page. ...

United Kingdom

During the Hundred Years War, the English occasionally ordered the assassinations of French knights and military commanders who were seen as a threat. The Welsh soldier of Fortune Owain Lawgoch remains one of their most famous victims. This article is in need of attention. ... The Welsh are, according to Hastings (1997), an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language, which is a Celtic language. ... A Soldier of Fortune is another term for a mercenary. ... Owain Lawgoch, (English: Owain of the Red Hand, French: Yvain de Galles), full name Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri (c. ...

During the Irish war of independence in 1916-21, the British government organised several secret assassination squads composed of drunken and trigger happy veterans of the First World War. These were dubbed the "Black and Tans" and the Auxiliary Division. In 1920 alone, British security forces murdered Tomás Mac Curtain, the Lord Mayor of Cork, as well as his counterpart in Limerick. In Limerick, the replacement mayor was also murdered, while in Cork, the new mayor, Terence McSwiney, died after a 74 day hunger strike. Combatants Irish Republic United Kingdom Commanders Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders Henry Hugh Tudor Strength Irish Republican Army c. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... For other senses of the term, see Black and tan (disambiguation). ... The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary, generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies, was a paramilitary organization within the RIC during the Anglo-Irish War. ... Tomás Mac Curtain 1884-1920 Ardmhéara Chorcaí 30 Eanáir- 20 Márta 1920 Tomás Mac Curtain (March 20, 1884 - March 20, 1920) was a Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland. ... Councillor Patrick (Pat) John Stannard, Lord Mayor of Oxford (2004). ... This article is about the city in the Republic of Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Irish Grid Reference R574572 Statistics Province: Munster County: Area: 20. ... Terence MacSwiney Terence Joseph MacSwiney (pronounced MacSweeney; Irish name: Traolach Mac Suibhne) (1879 - October 25, 1920) was born in Cork City, County Cork Ireland. ...

During the 30 years of the The Troubles in Northern Ireland, both the IRA and Loyalist paramilitary groups organised assassination squads. For other uses, see Troubles (disambiguation) and Trouble. ... Look up IRA in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British Intelligence have been accused of secretly colluding with Loyalist death squads. Notable cases include Brian Nelson (terrorist), an Ulster Defence Association member and British Intelligence officer who was convicted of several sectarian murders. The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

United States of America

From 1865 until about the 1960s and 1970s the Ku Klux Klan carried out 'lynchings' of African-American leaders and civil rights proponents. This was often with the unofficial support of some local and state level leaders in the American south. Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ... Lynching is a form of violence, usually execution, conceived of by its perpetrators as extrajudicial punishment for offenders or as a terrorist method of enforcing social domination. ...

The US has been accused of training Death Squads for use in South and Central American countries.^{[citation needed]} The School of the Americas, run by the US Army in Georgia has been accused by the UN of having trained "500 of the worst human rights abusers in the hemisphere"^[44] The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC), formerly School of the Americas (SOA), is a US Army facility at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, USA. It is a training facility operated in the Spanish language especially for Latin American military personnel. ...

Yugoslavia

In the late 1990s, the alleged use of paramilitary death squads by Serb forces and President Slobodan Milošević against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo was cited by the Clinton administration as part of its rationale for its bombing campaign against Serbia. However the use of death squads by all sides in this conflict did take place. Only token highly placed perpetrators have ever been charged, and of all of the national leaders suspected of involvement, only Slobodan Milošević has ever been brought to trial. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Anthem Serbia() on the European continent() Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian 1 Recognised regional languages Hungarian, Croatian, Slovak, Romanian, Rusyn 2 Albanian 3 Government Semi-presidential republic  -  President Boris Tadić  -  Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Establishment  -  Formation 812   -  Kingdom established 1217   -  Empire established 1346   -  Independence lost to... Presidential Standard of Serbia The President of Serbia is the head of state of the Republic of Serbia. ... “MiloÅ¡ević” redirects here. ... Kosovo (Albanian: Kosova or Kosovë, Serbian: , transliterated ; also , transliterated ) is a region in southern Serbia which has been under United Nations administration since 1999. ... “MiloÅ¡ević” redirects here. ...

Venezuela

In its 2003 and 2002 world reports, Human Rights Watch reported the existence of death squads in several Venezuelan states, involving members of the local police, the DISIP and the National Guard. These groups were responsible for the extrajudicial killings of civilians and wanted or alleged criminals, including street criminals, looters and drug users.^[45][46] Human Rights Watch Banner Human Rights Watch is a United States-based international non-government organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. ...

Vietnam

During the 1960s throughout the 1970s the United States and South Vietnamese governments used kidnapping, assassination, and infiltration tactics against the Marxist Viet Cong cadre as well as suspected Communist supporters in neighbouring countries, notably Cambodia and Laos (See Phoenix Program). Anthem Thanh niên Hành Khúc (Call to the Citizens) Capital Saigon Language(s) Vietnamese Government Republic Last President¹ Duong Van Minh Last Prime minister Vu Van Mau Historical era Cold War  - Regime change June 14, 1955  - Dissolution April 30, 1975 Area  - 1973 173,809 km² 67,108... Marxism is the political practice and social theory based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... A Viet Cong soldier, heavily guarded, awaits interrogation following capture in the attacks on Saigon during the festive Tet holiday period of 1968. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... The Phoenix Program (Vietnamese: Kế Hoạch Phụng Hoàng, a word related to fenghuang, the Chinese phoenix) or Operation Phoenix was a military, intelligence, and internal security coordination program designed by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the Vietnam War. ...

The Viet Cong and their North Vietnamese masters also used death squads of their own to murder thousands of village chiefs, in addition to South Vietnamese military officers, policemen, and civil servants, as well as civilians suspected of supporting the Saigon regime. Father Nguyen Bửu Đồng, a Roman Catholic priest, remains one of their most famous victims. A Viet Cong soldier, heavily guarded, awaits interrogation following capture in the attacks on Saigon during the festive Tet holiday period of 1968. ... The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN), or less commonly, Vietnamese Democratic Republic (Vietnamese: Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cá»™ng Hòa), also known as North Vietnam, was proclaimed by Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi, September 2nd1945 and was recognized by the Peoples Republic of China and the... Father Bá»­u Đồng (surname Nguyen) was a popular and well-respected Vietnamese Roman Catholic priest from the city of Huế who was executed by the Viet Cong during the Tet Offensive of 1968. ...

In popular culture

• Gunslinger Girl

Serialized in Dengeki Daioh Original run November 2002 – Present No. ...

References

Paul Aussaresses (b. ... Marie-Monique Robin (1960-) is a French journalist, who was awarded the Albert Londres prize in 1995 for Voleurs dyeux, on organ theft. ...

Further reading

• Haiti under the Gun, 1996 article by Allan Nairn, first published in The Nation
• CIA linked to FRAPH, coup — from Green Left Weekly
• CIA Support of Death Squads, by Ralph McGehee, ex-CIA

Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Allan Nairn Allan Nairn (b. ... The Nation logo The Nation is a weekly left-liberal periodical devoted to politics and culture. ... Ralph McGehee is a self-described twenty-five year decorated veteran of the CIA and a critic. He is the creator of the CIABASE computer database. ...

External links

• Haiti under the Gun, 1996 article by Allan Nairn, first published in The Nation

• CIA linked to FRAPH, coup — from Green Left Weekly

• CIA Support of Death Squads, by Ralph McGehee, ex-CIA

Main articles: Extrajudicial punishment, Extrajudicial killings, Summary execution, and Death squad