The Night Fear Changed Sides: Remembering the Assassination of Trujillo

Sixty-Four Years After: Remembering the Assassination of Rafael Trujillo Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – May 30, 2025 marks the 64th anniversary of the assassination of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, a pivotal moment in Dominican history. Trujillo's 31-year dictatorship, marked by authoritarian rule and human rights abuses, ended abruptly on that night in 1961. A group of brave conspirators, tired of oppression, risked their lives to carry out the plan. The video details the events of that night, showing Trujillo's departure from the capital, his lack of security, and the ambush that resulted in his death. The conspirators, including figures like Antonio de la Maza and Juan Tomás Díaz, paid a heavy price for their actions, with many facing execution by the SIM (Trujillo's secret service) in the following days. "It wasn't easy," the video's narrator explains, "Trujillo never went out at night without his personal army." This detail underscores the immense risk the conspirators took. The video concludes by emphasizing that Trujillo's death wasn't simply the end of a dictator, but the start of a long and difficult journey toward democracy for the Dominican people. The anniversary serves as a reminder of the struggle for freedom and the courage it takes to overcome tyranny. The legacy of Trujillo's rule and the sacrifices made to end it continue to shape the Dominican Republic today.