Panama's former dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega, who died in Panama City, was physically diminished after decades of imprisonment for crimes committed during his 1983-1989 rule.
Noriega, 83, passed away in the Panama City public Santo Tomas hospital where he had been recovering from early March surgery to remove a brain tumor, and a subsequent operation to clean up cerebral bleeding.
The announcement of his death was made by Communications Secretary Manuel Dominguez. “Mr. Noriega died tonight (late Monday),” Dominguez told. Noriega had been serving prison time for murder and forced disappearances during his dictatorship, and was being held in a prison cell overlooking the Panama Canal.
