Introduction
Juan Manuel Abal Medina, a prominent figure in Argentine Peronism and a persecuted opponent of dictatorships, found protection from Mexican PRI governments for three decades. His journey began in the mid-1970s when he sought refuge in Mexico’s embassy in Buenos Aires, where he spent four years with other Justicialist leaders, including then-President Héctor Cámpora, who was ousted by the military.
Abal Medina’s Arrival in Mexico and Rise
In 1982, Abal Medina, an Argentine lawyer and former secretary-general of the Movimiento Justicialista, arrived in Mexico. Over the next 25 years, he became closely associated with key figures of the so-called transition period. His death at 80 in Buenos Aires left uncovered a crucial chapter from that era: the possibility of a PRI-PRD alliance to oust the center-right PAN from power.
Abal Medina’s Legal Career and Connections
By the mid-1980s, Abal Medina was running a law firm in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and Madrid, with Carlos Slim among his clients. His presence faded in the preceding decade, though records show his high-level contacts. In a 2007 interview with Página 12, he hinted at his collaboration with a concertation between PRI and PRD sectors to defeat the PAN.
Media Portrayals and Denials
El Clarín and other Buenos Aires publications identified Abal Medina as an ex-CISEN agent, advisor to former Sonora Governor and PRI parliamentary leader Manlio Fabio Beltrones, and close to then-Michoacán Governor Lázaro Cárdenas Batel. Ramiro de la Rosa, a Democracia 2000 leader, publicly accused Argentines of moving to Mexico to advise the Mexican army following the Zapatista uprising. De la Rosa and writer Marcelo Fabián Monges gathered information but didn’t make it public. Abal Medina dismissed the claims, stating they aimed to harm his associate within the ‘nationalist’ PRI sector.
Abal Medina’s Early Mexican Career
Upon arrival in 1982, Abal Medina worked for Fernando Gutiérrez Barrios, who later headed the Federal Security Directorate and the Secretariat of Government during José López Portillo’s presidency. Gutiérrez Barrios then transferred Abal Medina to the Federal Roads and Bridges Administration in Cuernavaca, where they stayed until 1985. The PRI nominated Gutiérrez Barrios for Veracruz’s governorship the following year. He later became Mexico’s Secretary of State under President Carlos Salinas de Gortari in December 1988, serving until January 1993 alongside Abal Medina.
Key Questions and Answers
- What was Juan Manuel Abal Medina’s role in Mexico? Abal Medina was a prominent Argentine lawyer and former Peronist leader who sought refuge in Mexico during a dictatorship. He became closely associated with key figures of Mexico’s PRI transition period, potentially aiming for a PRI-PRD alliance against the center-right PAN.
- What were Abal Medina’s connections in Mexico? Abal Medina was linked to high-level Mexican politicians, including former Governor Manlio Fabio Beltrones and then-Governor Lázaro Cárdenas Batel. He was also reportedly connected to the Mexican army and ex-Zapatista negotiator Manuel Camacho Solís.
- What was the nature of Abal Medina’s legal career in Mexico? Abal Medina ran a law firm in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and Madrid, representing clients like Carlos Slim. His presence faded in the 1990s, though his high-level contacts remained evident.
