Uruguay's iconic ex-President Jose Mujica says his cancer has spread and that he's dying

BY NAYARA BATSCHKE
Updated 12:13 PM CST, January 9, 2025

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Uruguay’s former guerilla-turned-president, José Mujica, announced on Thursday that the cancer in his esophagus had spread to his liver, and that he had chosen to forgo further treatment.

In what Mujica said would be his last interview, he told Busqueda, a weekly news magazine in Uruguay, that he was “doomed.”

“Honestly, I am dying,” said the former leader, who governed the small South American nation of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. The article noted that he had tears in his eyes.
“What I ask is that they leave me alone. Don’t ask me for more interviews or anything else,” he said. “My cycle is over.”

. . .

Later, as Uruguay’s 40th president, he transformed his nation into one of the healthiest and most socially liberal democracies in Latin America, legalizing abortion, same-sex marriage and recreational marijuana. As a leftist icon, he sparked global fascination by shunning the presidential palace to live in a tiny farmhouse and donating most of his salary to charity.

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