Facundo Molares Schoenfeld, a former terrorist of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), died after suffering cardiac arrest following a protest at the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Molares, who was a photojournalist, was participating in a demonstration of Argentinian left-wing militants against the primary elections to be held this Sunday. After being detained by the Buenos Aires Police, and after more than half an hour of "resuscitation maneuvers," the mayor's office of the Argentinian capital confirmed his death:
For more than half an hour, resuscitation maneuvers were performed until death was verified. The causes of death are related to cardiac arrest due to risk factors.
Despite criticism accusing the officers of excessive use of force, the Mayor of the Argentinian capital Horacio Rodriguez Larreta declared that he "fully supports the actions of the police" while regretting the death of the former terrorist:
Today, during a demonstration with incidents, Facundo Molares died after suffering cardiac arrest. I regret his death and extend my condolences to his family members. I would like to highlight and fully support the actions of the city police, who acted with professionalism.
UNA ARGENTINA EN PAZ Y SIN MIEDO
Hoy en el marco de una manifestación con incidentes, falleció luego de una descompensación Facundo Molares. Lamento su muerte y extiendo mis condolencias a sus familiares.
Quiero destacar y respaldar completamente el accionar de la Policía de la…
— Horacio Rodríguez Larreta (@horaciorlarreta) August 11, 2023
FARC's 'Camilo el Argentino'
Facundo Molares, born in Argentina, was 47 years old. In 2001, he moved to Colombia, where he joined the FARC and was nicknamed "Camilo el Argentino." In November 2019, he was imprisoned in Bolivia while covering the coup d'état against former president Evo Morales as a photojournalist.
After regaining his freedom, he returned to Argentina in 2020 and settled in his father's house. In 2021, he was arrested in his home country on an Interpol request from the Colombian judiciary. In that country, he was accused of kidnapping while he belonged to the FARC. After a legal battle in which the Colombian authorities requested his extradition, an Argentinian judge released him in 2022.
Facundo was currently working as a journalist and was a member of the Rebelión Popular group.
