List of assassinations


This is a list of successful assassinations, sorted by location.
For the purposes of this article, an assassination is defined as the deliberate, premeditated murder of a prominent figure for political or ideological reasons.

Africa

Americas

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

DateVictimAssassinNotes
Facundo Quiroga, Governor of La Rioja ProvinceJosé Vicente Reynafé, Reynafé brothers, Capt. Santos PérezWhile returning to Buenos Aires, armed men ambushed his carriage; Quiroga was shot in his left eye when he left the carriage to negotiate.
Alejandro Heredia, Governor of Tucumán ProvinceGabino Robles, Vicente Neirot, Lucio Casas, Gregorio Uriarte,Heredia was shot in the head when he and his son were ambushed by an armed party. The perpetrators left Heredia and his son. The body was discovered 2 days later
José Cubas, Governor of Catamarca ProvinceMariano Maza
Marco Avellaneda, Governor of Tucumán ProvinceMariano Maza
Antonino Aberastain, Governor of San Juan Province
Chacho Peñaloza, La Rioja Province insurrectionistCol. Pablo Irrazábal
Justo José de Urquiza, former president of Argentina and Governor of Entre Ríos Province
Ricardo López Jordán, soldier, politician, and former governor of Entre Ríos Province
Mariano Santillán, Jr., National Deputy for Santiago del Estero Province
Ramón Falcón, chief of the National PoliceSimón RadowitzkyAssassinated by anarchists as a retaliation for his brutal repression of workers.
Amable Jones, Governor of San Juan Province
Carlos Washington Lencinas, former Governor of Mendoza Province
Enzo Bordabehere, National Senator for Santa Fe ProvinceRamón Valdez CoraKilled during a session of the Argentine Senate.
Augusto Vandor, Metalworkers Union Secretary GeneralKilled in commando attack by the Ejército Nacional Revolucionario, a far-left Peronist splinter group.
Pedro Aramburu, former de facto president of ArgentinaExecuted by the Peronist guerrilla Montoneros in revenge for the abduction of Evita's body and for the execution of those implicated in a 1956 failed uprising, during Aramburu's dictatorship.
José Alonso, CGT Secretary GeneralMontoneros
Oberdan Sallustro, Director of FIAT ArgentinaERP
José Ignacio Rucci, CGT Secretary GeneralMontoneros
Juan Manuel Irrazábal, Governor of Misiones ProvinceArgentine Anticommunist AllianceKilled with Vice-Governor César Ayrault by bomb placed in Beechcraft Queen Air plane.
Arturo Mor Roig, former Interior MinisterMontoneros
Carlos Mugica, Catholic Third World priestRodolfo Almirón
Rodolfo Ortega Peña, National Deputy for Buenos Aires ProvinceArgentine Anticommunist Alliance
Atilio López, former Vice-Governor of Córdoba ProvinceArgentine Anticommunist Alliance
Silvio Frondizi, University of Buenos Aires law professorArgentine Anticommunist Alliance
Carlos Prats, exiled Chilean general, former Commander-in-chief of the Chilean ArmyMichael TownleyKilled by the secret service of the Pinochet dictatorship
Hipólito Acuña, National Deputy for Santa Fe ProvinceMontoneros
John Egan, U.S. Honorary Consul in CórdobaMontoneros
Rubén Cartier, Mayor of La PlataCNU, a right-wing student group liked to the Triple A
Ramón Rojas, National Deputy for San Juan ProvinceFernando OteroKilled at the behest of Vineyard Workers' Federation leader Delfor Ocampo.
Alberto Manuel Campos, Mayor of General San Martín Partido, Buenos Aires ProvinceMontoneros
Miguel Ragone, former governor of Salta ProvinceArmy Gen. Luciano MenéndezAbducted and killed by right-wing task force made of up of Army and provincial police officers led by Menéndez.
Zelmar Michelini, exiled Uruguayan senator, founder of the Broad FrontKilled after the 1976 Argentine coup as part of Operation Condor involving the collaboration between military dictatorships in the Southern Cone.
Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz, exiled former speaker of the Uruguayan House of RepresentativesKilled alongside Zelmar Michelini
Juan José Torres, exiled former military President of BoliviaKilled as part of Operation Condor
Enrique Angelelli, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of La RiojaLuis EstrellaBeaten to death after Angelelli's car was run off the road on orders from III Army Corps Chief Luciano Menéndez.
Juan Carlos Casariego de Bel, Chief Foreign Investments Adviser at Economy MinistryArmy Capt. Héctor VérgezCasariego had objected to a 400 million payout for the nationalization of the bankrupt CIADE electric company - one of whose top shareholders was the Economy Minister, José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz.
Miguel Tobías Padilla, Undersecretary for Coordination at Economy MinistryMontoneros
Osvaldo Sivak, bankerJosé Benigno Lorea, police officerKilled following ransom kidnapping by the Aníbal Gordon gang led by former Argentine Anticommunist Alliance operatives.
José Luis Cabezas, photojournalist for leading Argentine news weekly Noticias."Los Horneros" gang, led by Buenos Aires Provincial Police Inspector Gustavo PrellezoKilled on orders from businessman Alfredo Yabrán.
Héctor Enrique Olivares, National Deputy for La Rioja ProvinceJuan Jesús Fernández and Juan José Navarro CádizKilled in attack directed at Olivares' aide, Miguel Yadón, by businessman Rafael Cano Carmona.

Bermuda

Bolivia

DateVictimAssassinNotes
Pedro Blanco Soto, President of BoliviaKilled after being overthrown and taken prisoner.
Eusebio Guilarte, former acting president of Bolivia
Jorge Córdova, former president of Bolivia
Manuel Isidoro Belzu, former president of Bolivia
Agustín Morales, President of BoliviaFederico Lafaye
Hilarión Daza, former president of BoliviaAssassinated after returning from exile.
José Manuel Pando, former president of Bolivia
Gualberto Villarroel, President of BoliviaKilled by mob.
Che Guevara, revolutionaryCaptured and executed by Bolivian Special Forces
Monika Ertl, communist militant and guerilla fighterAmbushed along with a fellow guerilla by Bolivian security forces in present-day El Alto in retaliation for the assassination of former head of intelligence in the ministry of internal affairs Roberto Quintanilla.
Elders Jeffrey Brent Ball and Todd Ray Wilson, LDS MissionariesZarate Willka Armed Forces of Liberation
Rodolfo Illanes, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of BoliviaProtesting miners

Brazil

DateVictimAssassinNotes
1678Ganga Zumba, leader of Quilombo dos Palmares
1695Zumbi, leader of Quilombo dos PalmaresPortuguese colonial authorities
1830Líbero Badaró, journalistThe assassination unleashed a wave of protests against the government of Pedro I of Brazil
1897Carlos Machado de Bitterncourt, Minister of WarMarcelino Bispo de MeloSee Attempted assassination of Prudente de Morais
1908José Plácido de Castro, former president of the Republic of Acre
Pinheiro Machado, Senator for Rio Grande do Sul
1929José Gomes Duarte, Mayor of Bauru, São PauloMoacir de Almeida
1929, Federal Deputy for Pernambuco
João Pessoa Cavalcânti de Albuquerque, Governor of ParaíbaJoão Duarte Dantas
1938Virgulino Ferreira da Silva "Lampião", leader bandit of CangaçoKilled during the Massacre of Angico, led by João Bezerra da Silva
1938Maria Gomes de Oliveira "Maria Bonita", bandit of CangaçoJosé Panta de GodoyKilled during the Massacre of Angico, led by João Bezerra da Silva
Adib Shishakli, exiled Syrian military dictatorNawaf Ghazaleh
1971Rubens Paiva, former Federal Deputy for São Paulo and critic of the Military dictatorship in Brazil
1973Maurício Grabois, leader of the Communist Party of Brazil
Vladimir Herzog, journalist
Zuzu Angel, fashion designer and critic of the Military dictatorship in Brazil
1986Josimo Morais Tavares, Catholic priest and coordinator of the Comissão Pastoral da TerraRanchersKilled by ranchers for his support of rural workers.
Francisco "Chico" Alves Mendes Filho, environmental activistDarci Alves PereiraShot on the orders of the assassin's father, rancher Darly Alves da Silva
1992Edmundo Pinto, Governor of Acre
Paulo César Farias, President Fernando Collor de Mello's campaign treasurer
Antonio da Costa Santos, Mayor of Campinas, São Paulo
2001Aguinaldo Pereira da Silva, Mayor of Caraúbas, Rio Grande do Norte
Celso Daniel, Mayor of Santo André, São Paulo
Tim Lopes, journalistElias "Maluco" Pereira da Silva
André "Capeta" da Cruz Barbosa
Cláudio "Ratinho" Orlando do Nascimento
Maurício "Boizinho" de Lima Matias
Claudino "Xuxa" dos Santos Coelho
Elizeu "Zeu" Felício de Souza
Ângelo "Primo" da Silva
Reinaldo "Cadê" Amaral de Jesus
Fernando "Frei" Sátyro da Silva
Murdered by drug traffickers connected to Comando Vermelho and Amigos dos Amigos
2002Lídia Menezes, Vice Mayor of Magé, Rio de Janeiro
Dorothy Stang, American nunRaifran das Neves SalesKilled by business interests
2010, Mayor of Jandira, São Paulo
José Gomes da Rocha, former mayor of Itumbiara, São Paulo, and mayoral candidateGilberto Ferreira do Amaral
Kyriakos Amiridis, Greek ambassador to BrazilFrançoise de Sousa Oliveira and Sergio GomesMurdered by Gomes on the orders of Oliveira, and corpse burnt in an arson attack on a rental car.
Marielle Franco, human rights activist and City Councillor of Rio de JaneiroRonnie Lessa and Élcio Vieira de QueirozConvicted assassins reportedly hired by local militias
Gerson Camata, former Governor of Espírito SantoMarcos Vinícius Moreira Andrade
2019Paulo Paulino Guajajara, Indigenous environmental activistMurdered by illegal loggers.
2023Mãe Bernadete, community activist