Helmin Wiels
| Helmin Wiels | |
|---|---|
| Leader of Pueblo Soberano in the Estates of Curaçao | |
|
In office 10 October 2010 – 5 May 2013 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Helmin Magno Wiels 9 December 1958 Westpunt, Curaçao. |
| Died | 5 May 2013 (aged 54) Marie Pompoen Beach, Curaçao. |
| Political party | Pueblo Soberano |
| Spouse(s) | Divorced |
| Children | 2 |
Helmin Magno Wiels (9 December 1958 – 5 May 2013) was a leftist politician, anti-corruption activist and social worker from Curaçao. He served as a chairman of Pueblo Soberano (the largest political party in the Estates after the October 2012 election) and was a vocal campaigner for Curaçao's independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Wiels was assassinated on 5 May 2013 following earlier written threats on his life. Elvis Kuwas, a hitman for the "No Limit Soldiers" drugs gang that had planned the assassination, was found guilty of three counts of murder (including that of Wiels) and was sentenced to life imprisonment in August 2014.
Wiels was born on 9 December 1958 into a lower-middle-class family from Westpunt. He became a social worker and radio maker before joining Niun paso atras (Papiamento for "No step backwards") and constituting Aliansa Sivil (Civil Alliance). In 2005, he founded Pueblo Soberano (Sovereign People), a leftist political party that won the popular vote in the October 2012 elections.
Associated Press news reports characterized Wiels’ outspoken rhetorical style as charismatic but sometimes divisive. He was a proponent of Curaçao’s independence, a promoter of stronger ties with its South American neighbors, and wanted to stop U.S. Air Force surveillance planes from using Willemstad's Airport as a base while participating in multinational counter-drug missions in the Caribbean. He also asserted that, if Curaçao ever achieves its full independence, it must declare Papiamento, English and Spanish as its official languages because "Dutch is a dead language, the same as Greek or Latin".
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