Behind Che Guevara's mask, the cold executioner

A ROMANTIC hero to legions of fans the world over, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the poster boy of Marxist revolution, has come under assault as a cold-hearted monster four decades after his death in the Bolivian jungle.

A revisionist biography has highlighted Guevara's involvement in countless executions of "traitors" and counter-revolutionary "worms", offering a fresh glimpse of the dark side of the celebrated guerrilla fighter who helped Fidel Castro to seize power in Cuba.

"Attacking an almost legendary figure is not an easy task," said Jacobo Machover, author of The Hidden Face of Che. "He has so many defenders. They have forged the cult of an untouchable hero."

Matthew Campbell