How Latin American leaders reacted to the Shinzo Abe assassination

Leaders in Latin America expressed consternation and shock in reaction to the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday. The 67-year-old was speaking at a campaign event in Nara, a city in central Japan, when he was shot twice.

President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil — who himself survived an assassination attempt while on the 2018 campaign trail — declared a three-day period of mourning in the country. He called the killing of Mr. Abe an “act of unjustifiable cruelty.” 

Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourão and Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco also used social media to condemn political violence.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s presidential frontrunner, has not immediately reacted — despite his latest moves to portray himself as a gregarious figure on the international stage.

Supporters of the former president have shown concern about the risks to his safety. Yesterday, a man was identified as having detonated an explosive device containing fecal matter during a Lula rally. The candidate was reportedly wearing a bulletproof vest during the public appearance.

As of Friday afternoon, the presidents of Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Panama, and the Dominican Republic have also condemned the assassination. Argentina’s Alberto Fernández called it “an attack against democracy and peace.”

Mexico’s Andrés Manuel “AMLO” López Obrador lamented the murder during a press conference.

Latin America and the Caribbean has a history of political violence. Per CNN Español, 12 presidents have been killed in the Americas over the last 120 years. However, the only such case in the 21st century was the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, one year ago yesterday.

In Colombia, President-elect Gustavo Petro briefly suspended his campaign activities in May of this year after he was told about threats made against his life. The case revived fears from what Colombians believed was a bygone era. Four presidential hopefuls were murdered in the runup to the 1990 election.

Mr. Petro has not yet reacted to the Shinzo Abe killing.

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