Ex-Paraguay ruler buried in exile

Brazil and Paraguay did not send an official representative

Paraguay's former military ruler Alfredo Stroessner has been buried in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia.

About 60 mourners attended the private ceremony, mostly family. Neither the Brazilian nor Paraguayan governments sent an official representative.

The 93-year-old died in Brasilia on Wednesday after contracting pneumonia following an operation for a hernia.

General Stroessner, who led a military coup in 1954, had lived in exile in Brazil since being ousted in 1989.

Paraguay had said earlier it would not pay tribute to him as he was a renegade from justice and was wanted for questioning over alleged rights abuses.

Gen Stroessner's family say they would like to move his body back to Paraguay at some point.

Operation Condor

Gen Stroessner was renowned as a staunch anti-communist, and was an ally of apartheid South Africa and Chile's General Augusto Pinochet.

Hundreds of files discovered after his departure revealed Paraguay's extensive role in the repression of left-wing activists across southern Latin America in what was known as Operation Condor.

Paraguayan judges had, on a number of occasions, requested the extradition of the former leader to question him over human rights abuses.

Many Paraguayans admired Gen Stroessner for the stability he brought. But many others feel their country is still struggling to escape his legacy of authoritarian rule, cronyism and corruption.

He was overthrown by a former politically ally, General Andres Rodriguez, in a coup in February 1989. Gen Stroessner fled to Brazil a few days later.