Luis Otero Cifuentes

{{Short description|Colombian politician and guerilla (1943-1985)}}

{{Infobox person

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1943|09|25}}

| birth_place = Cali, Colombia

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1985|11|07|1943|09|25}}

| death_place = Palace of Justice, Bogotá, Colombia

| occupation = Politician, guerilla

| movement = M-19 Movement

}}

Luis Otero Cifuentes (Cali September 25, 1943 – Bogotá November 7, 1985) was a Colombian politician and guerrilla fighter. He was killed in the Palace of Justice siege in Bogotá.

Biography

He studied in the Free University of Colombia School and Anthropology in the National University of Colombia.{{cite journal|title=LAS CABEZAS CAIDAS DEL M-19 (Fallen leaders of the M-19)|journal=Semana (Bogotá)|date=9 December 1985|url=http://www.semana.com/especiales/articulo/las-cabezas-caidas-del-m-19/7193-3|access-date=17 December 2014}} He became a member of the Communist Youth (in Spanish Juventud Comunista, JuCo) and fought in Cuba on the side of Fidel Castro in the Escambray. Back in Colombia, he was one of the founders of the 19th of April Movement (M-19), one of the "Second Wave" groups prioritising urban action with no specific ideological position.{{cite book

| last1 = Castañeda

| first1 = Jorge

| title = La utopía desarmada (Unarmed Utopia)

| date = 1995

| publisher = Bogotá: Ediciones tercer mundo

}}

He planned the capture of the Dominican Republic embassy by a M-19 guerrilla squad in 1980, which lasted 61 days.{{cite news|title=M-19 takes over Bogotá Embassy|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/aniversario/100/en_ca10_art_m-19-takes-over-bogo_01A2252383|access-date=17 December 2014|work=El Universal (Caracas)|issue=Anniversary Edition|date=1 April 2009}} In 1985 he was among the leaders of the Palace of Justice siege, where he died together with other guerrillas and hostages during the recapture of the building by the Army. His corpse was never found.