Eduardo López Ochoa y Portoundo (31 January 1877 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish general, Africanist, and prominent

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. He was known for most of his life as a traditional Republican, and conspired against the government of

Miguel Primo de Rivera Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella, Grandee, GE (8 January 1870 – 16 March 1930), was a Spanish dictator and military officer who ruled as prime minister of Spain from 1923 to 1930 during the last years of the Resto ...

Biography

At the proclamation of the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

in 1931, López Ochoa was designated ''capitán general'' of

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

by Francesc Macià. He led troops to crush the

insurrection Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

in October 1934, after which the leader of the nascent Popular Front was jailed. The left felt betrayed, and began to regard López Ochoa as a rightist. His left-wing enemies nicknamed him "''el verdugo de Asturias''" ("the butcher of Asturias"). At the same time, those on the right distrusted him for his

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, for having entered negotiations with the Asturian miners, and for punishing soldiers guilty of violent excesses.Preston, Paul
''The Spanish Holocaust: Inquisition and Extermination in Twentieth-Century Spain''
Norton, 2012. p 266. As a deterrent to further atrocities, López Ochoa had ordered the summary executions of six legionnaires and Moroccan colonial troops for raping, torturing, and murdering prisoners, some of whom had been hacked to death.Preston, pp. 133–134 At the outbreak of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, López Ochoa was in a military hospital in

Carabanchel Carabanchel is a district of Madrid, Spain. It lies on the southern (right) bank of the Manzanares, spanning southward down to the M-40 ring road. The district is made up of the neighbourhoods of Abrantes, Comillas, Opañel, Puerta Bonita, S ...

and was awaiting trial, accused of responsibility for the deaths of 20 civilians at a barracks in

Oviedo Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...

. Given the violence occurring throughout Madrid, the government attempted to move Ochoa from the hospital to a safer location but was twice prevented from doing so by large hostile crowds. A third attempt was made under the guise that Ochoa was already dead, but the ruse was exposed and the general was taken away. One account states that an anarchist dragged him from the coffin in which he was lying and shot him in the hospital garden. His head was severed and displayed with a sign reading "This is the butcher of Asturias."

Sources

''Gipuzkoa 1936''

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez Ochoa, Eduardo 1877 births 1936 deaths Military personnel from Barcelona Spanish people of Basque descent Spanish generals Spanish military personnel of the Rif War Spanish people who died in prison custody People murdered in Spain Lynching deaths Deaths by firearm in Spain Spanish Freemasons Prisoners who died in Spanish detention

Biography

See also

Sources

External links