Alfredo Stroessner was the president and dictator of Paraguay from 1954 to 1989. His rule was the longest in 20th century Latin American history, being 're-elected' 8 times. He was commissioned an officer in the military in 1932 and fought in the Chaco War from 1932-1935. He became commander in chief of the armed forces in 1951á and was responsible for the coup d'etat in 1954 that removed Federico Cahávez from power. He became president that year, and supressed all opposition using the military. Under his dictatorship Paraguay became a refuge for Nazi war criminals.
Stroessner was an important figure (probably 2nd in command underneath Augusto Pinochet) in Operation Condor, which was responsible for the murder and torture of many key political opponents throughout South America. He was overthrown in a military coup in 1989 and forced into exile in Brazil. Paraguayan lawyer Martin Almada has called on Spain to extradite him from Brazil so he will have to face justice for his crimes. However, neither Pinochet or Stroessner have yet had to answer for the actions of their inhumane military regimes.