"Economic sanctions are paid by the peoples, who are the hungry. They end up harming precisely the most humble"
― José Mujica
José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse muˈxika]; born 20 May 1935) is a Uruguayan farmer and retired politician who served as the 40th President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was imprisoned for 12 years during the military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s. A member of the Broad Front coalition of left-wing parties, Mujica was Minister of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries from 2005 to 2008 and a Senator afterwards. As the candidate of the Broad Front, he won the 2009 presidential election and took office as President on 1 March 2010.
Background[]
He was one of the leaders of the movement called Tupamaros, a group which took up arms in the 1960's and 1970's as one of the first urban guerrilla movements. After a military coup in 1973 Mujica was arrested and spent 13 years in military prison (in a well, with other prisoners, totally isolated from the world), until released in 1985 due to general ammnesty that was given by the Democratic government that started on March 1st, after several years of military dictatorship.
He has been described as "the world's humblest head of state" due to his austere lifestyle and his donation of around 90 percent of his $12,000 monthly salary to charities that benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs.
In 2011, he spoke out against military operations launched by several Western countries against Libya.
Mujica rejected the regime of Nicolas Maduro but also condemned the sanctions, claiming that the only ones to pay the consequences are the citizens.
I also deplore the Nicaraguan government, alleging that President Daniel Ortega has become an autocratic and ruthless ruler, capable of mercilessly repressing his people, together with whom he did not know, wanted or could, build quality of life or a democratic institutionality and transparent.
Personal[]
Mujica married Lucía Topolansky in 2005, his partner from guerilla times, who is a also a Senator and former Deputy.