Carlos Soto Arriví
Encyclopedia
Carlos Enrique Soto Arriví (December 8, 1959 - July 25, 1978) was an activist for the independence
of Puerto Rico
. On July 25, 1978 he was killed by police officers (along with friend Arnaldo Darío Rosado
) after being lured into bombing the communication towers on Cerro Maravilla by undercover
agent, Alejandro González Malavé
.
The killing of both men spawned a decades-long case (see Maravilla Hill case) that to this date has not been fully solved.
. His parents were Pedro Juan Soto
(one of the most admired Puerto Rican novelists in the 20th century) and Rosa Arriví. He had an older brother (Roberto Alfonso) and a younger brother (Juan Manuel).
He was a good student that enjoyed literature
. He also wrote stories and went on to win second place in a competition held by the local Department of Education. When his parents went to Europe to finish their doctoral studies, he learned to speak French
in a year. Upon returning from Europe
, he was enrolled in a high school
(Escuela Superior República de Colombia) in Río Piedras although in a lower grade, because the school officials did not want to credit his years of overseas study.
Although he was interested in social issues from a very young age, his activism started when he joined a pro-independence group in high school
.
In 1978 undercover agent Alejandro González Malavé enticed Carlos and his friend Arnaldo into bombing the communication towers on top of Cerro Maravilla. It was there where both Soto Arrivi and Rosado were ambushed, tortured, and killed after being disarmed and having surrendered to the agent provocateur
and the other policemen that surrounded the youths. Said information was confirmed by various members of the Puerto Rico police who confessed to having participated in the murder of these members of the Puerto Rican independence movement
. The FBI reportedly did not cooperate adequately in ascertaining the extent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. government's role in the politically-motivated murder and its subsequent cover-up. The United States Department of Justice's Civil Rights office and the Puerto Rico Legislature actively investigated the crimes leading up and subsequent to the Cerro Maravilla assassinations.
The 1988 motion picture A Show of Force
was loosely based on events related to his death and the cover-up of the scandal.
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. On July 25, 1978 he was killed by police officers (along with friend Arnaldo Darío Rosado
Arnaldo Darío Rosado
Arnaldo Darío Rosado Torres was an activist for the independence of Puerto Rico from a very young age. On July 25, 1978 he was killed by police officers after being lured into bombing the communication towers on Cerro Maravilla by undercover agent, Alejandro González Malavé.The killing of both...
) after being lured into bombing the communication towers on Cerro Maravilla by undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
agent, Alejandro González Malavé
Alejandro González Malavé
Alejandro González Malavé was a Puerto Rican undercover agent who gained infamy with the Cerro Maravilla case scandal.González Malavé, an outspoken university political leader, graduated as a policeman in 1979, the same year he went to work undercover...
.
The killing of both men spawned a decades-long case (see Maravilla Hill case) that to this date has not been fully solved.
Biography
Soto Arriví was born on December 8, 1959, in San JuanSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. His parents were Pedro Juan Soto
Pedro Juan Soto
Pedro Juan Soto was a Puerto Rican writer.-Early life:Pedro Juan Soto was born in Cataño, Puerto Rico, and went to primary and secondary school in Bayamón. At the age of eighteen, he moved to New York and attended Long Island University...
(one of the most admired Puerto Rican novelists in the 20th century) and Rosa Arriví. He had an older brother (Roberto Alfonso) and a younger brother (Juan Manuel).
He was a good student that enjoyed literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. He also wrote stories and went on to win second place in a competition held by the local Department of Education. When his parents went to Europe to finish their doctoral studies, he learned to speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in a year. Upon returning from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, he was enrolled in a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
(Escuela Superior República de Colombia) in Río Piedras although in a lower grade, because the school officials did not want to credit his years of overseas study.
Although he was interested in social issues from a very young age, his activism started when he joined a pro-independence group in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
.
In 1978 undercover agent Alejandro González Malavé enticed Carlos and his friend Arnaldo into bombing the communication towers on top of Cerro Maravilla. It was there where both Soto Arrivi and Rosado were ambushed, tortured, and killed after being disarmed and having surrendered to the agent provocateur
Agent provocateur
Traditionally, an agent provocateur is a person employed by the police or other entity to act undercover to entice or provoke another person to commit an illegal act...
and the other policemen that surrounded the youths. Said information was confirmed by various members of the Puerto Rico police who confessed to having participated in the murder of these members of the Puerto Rican independence movement
Puerto Rican independence movement
The Puerto Rican independence movement refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at obtaining independence for the Island, first from Spain, and then from the United States...
. The FBI reportedly did not cooperate adequately in ascertaining the extent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. government's role in the politically-motivated murder and its subsequent cover-up. The United States Department of Justice's Civil Rights office and the Puerto Rico Legislature actively investigated the crimes leading up and subsequent to the Cerro Maravilla assassinations.
The 1988 motion picture A Show of Force
A Show of Force
A Show of Force is a 1990 thriller, directed by Bruno Barreto. The film is based on events and theories surrounding the Maravilla Hill case in Puerto Rico adapted from Anne Nelson's book, "Murder Under Two Flags."-Plot:...
was loosely based on events related to his death and the cover-up of the scandal.
External links
- Carlos Soto Arriví on Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...