Montanaro was an influential figure during the El Stronato,[1] often mentioned as one of the four closest politicians to Alfredo Stroessner (the so-called "Cuatrinomio de Oro"), and was blamed for many human rights violations.
[4] In June 1979, Montanaro ordered the closure of the newspapers Ultima Hora and La Tribuna for a duration of 30 days.
In 1969, the police invaded the Parroquia Cristo Rey in Asunción to arrest radical Jesuits and physically abuse elderly clergy.
[6] Montanaro also mobilised the Colorado peasant militia, known as the Macheteros de Santani, to repress a Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico (PLRA) rally in San Jose in April 1986.
[11] Facing an arrest warrant since 1997 and accused of torture-related crimes, protesters demanded he be jailed in Tacumbú prison.