On June 9, 1965, reports confirmed the December 1963 execution of Dominican revolutionary Manolo Tavárez Justo, leader of the 14th of June Movement—a leftist group resisting the Trujillo dictatorship and later the U.S.-backed military junta. Manolo advocated for justice, agrarian reform, and an end to foreign intervention in the Caribbean. Though he had surrendered under a promise of safe treatment, he was summarily executed. His death, confirmed in full detail two years later, outraged progressives across Latin America and the African diaspora. His wife, Minerva Mirabal, and her sisters—also assassinated—became international icons of resistance. Manolo’s legacy lives on in Dominican memory as a symbol of sacrifice for sovereignty and equality.
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