Manuel Pérez Martínez (9 May 1943 – 14 February 1998), also known as "El Cura Pérez" ("Pérez the Priest"), was a Spanish Catholic communist and Marxist-Leninist revolutionary and the leader of the Colombian National Liberation Army (ELN) for over three decades. The ELN was the second-largest rebel group in Colombia at that time."Manuel Pérez Martínez: Colombian revolutionary", retrieved June 12, 2019
Biography Born in Alfamén, Spain, Pérez was originally a Catholic priest, and worked in Spain, France, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. An admirer of Camilo Torres Restrepo, following his defrocking and expulsion from the Dominican Republic in 1968, he went to Colombia and joined the ELN in 1969. He became the group's leader some time in the 1970s and remained so until his death at age 54 in 1998 from hepatitis B."Colombian rebel leader dies" by Timothy Ross, BBC News, April 6, 1998, retrieved February 18, 2006 His leadership is thought to have significantly affected the ELN's ideology (Cuban-style Marxism, Catholicism and liberation theology). He was also instrumental in increasing the ELN's size from less than 100 to more than 5,000.
Personal life Perez identified as a Christian and had origins in the Catholic priesthood but, during his time in the guerilla movement, he did not wish to be addressed as "priest."
Perez also praised Pablo Escobar, stating that:
He also stated:
In 1989, Perez was, and later the entirety of the ELN were, excommunicated, after the ELN murdered the bishop of Arauca, Jesus Emilio Jaramillo.
See also
Domingo Lain Jose Antonio Jimenez Comin
References