- via CNN
Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega arrived Sunday evening in his home country, nearly 22 years after U.S. forces forcibly removed him from office.
The 77-year-old was expected to head straight to prison to serve time for crimes committed during his rule. He will be flown to and housed in an individual cell in El Renacer, a medium-security facility in Gamboa, the government said.
Noriega arrived at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City.
“I think it has historic and symbolic significance,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, about the former leader’s return.
“It’s a sense of closure for the Panamanian people. He clearly was a dictator for six years and presided over assassinations, disappearances and killing of opposition leaders. And so I think that it’s something that was unfinished business and I think it’s important for Panama to have a sense of closure,” he said.
Read more at CNN.com.
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