Independence voice Noriega dies at 68
By CB Online Staff
Puerto Rican independence leader David Noriega died on Saturday after a battle with cancer. He was 68.
The attorney and former Puerto Rican Independence Party lawmaker was the PIP’s gubernatorial candidate in 1996, garnering nearly 4 percent of the vote.
Noriega was later named by Popular Democratic Party Gov. Sila Calderón to head her so-called Blue-Ribbon Commission to fight government corruption.
The veteran independence activist took the reins of the PIP’s youth win in 1968 and was appointed as the party’s secretary in 1970. He was named the PIP’s legislative affairs chief in 1979 and the PIP’s electoral commissioner in 1980.
Noriega was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1984 and won a second term in the lower chamber in 1988.
Noriega was a driving force in the long legal fight to shed light on the so-called “carpetas,” secret dossiers on independence supporters that were maintained by local police with help from federal authorities. The lawsuit led to the opening of the files and passage of legislation banning such ideological tracking.
In recent years, Noriega went back to his law practice while building a reputation as a respected political analyst.
He was a member of the directorate of the upstart Sovereign Union Movement (MUS) political party in the 2012 elections.
Noriega is survived by his wife Carmencita Acosta and their sons David and Javier.
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