Uruguay's former military ruler Gregorio Alvarez has died in prison at the age of 91. Officials confirmed that he died of heart failure while serving a 25-year sentence for murder and human rights violations.
Alvarez, who ruled Uruguay from 1981 to 1985, was convicted in 2009 of 37 homicides committed during his time as head of the army in the 1970s and later as de facto president. The charges related to the kidnapping and forced return of Uruguayan dissidents from Argentina under Operation Condor, a covert operation by South American military regimes to eliminate political opponents.
Alvarez was a key figure in the 1973 coup that dissolved Congress and ushered in military rule. Hundreds of people disappeared during this period. He was arrested in 2007 after a law shielding military officials from prosecution was overturned.
His death marks the end of a controversial chapter in Uruguay's history, with human rights groups noting that justice was served, albeit belatedly, for the victims of the dictatorship.
