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Truth Commissions Digital Collection: Reports: Chile


Report of the Chilean
National Commission on
Truth and Reconciliation

Contents

Foreword
Introduction to the English Edition
Guide to the English Edition
Guide to the Editor's Notes
Acronyms
Introduction
Supreme Decree No. 355

PART ONE

Chapter One
Chapter Two

PART TWO

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four

PART THREE

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four

Chapter Five: Cases declared to be unresolved

  1. Explanation
  2. Unresolved cases
  3. List of names of other unresolved cases
PART FOUR

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four

APPENDICES

Appendix I
Appendix II
Appendix III

 

PART THREE
Chapter Five (A)

Cases Declared to be Unresolved

  1. EXPLANATION

    As explained in Part One, Chapter One, the Commission agreed to prepare for the country a comprehensive picture of the truth about the most serious human rights violations committed between September 11, 1973, and March 11, 1990. The basis was to be a specific investigation into each case presented by the victims' relatives or human rights organizations. It likewise agreed to investigate each specific case by examining as much evidence as possible in order to have objective grounds for arriving at the moral conviction that each particular victim had died as the result of a fundamental violation of his or her essential rights.

    In carrying out its task, the Commission had help from human rights organizations, the victims' relatives, government officials, and many other people. On the other hand, it had to confront serious obstacles, which often turned out to be insuperable. Among these we may mention:

    • The fact that the Commission did not have subpoena power, and hence the testimony and information from non-governmental agencies came entirely from people who were willing to come forward to testify or to provide such information;

    • The amount of time in which the task had to be completed, which often made it impossible to gather the evidence necessary for coming to conviction on what had happened;

    • The fact that for a number of reasons beyond the Commission's control, progress on the investigation into many cases could be made only toward the end of the period, and hence it was impossible to gather enough evidence to establish what had happened;

    • The sophistication of the methods of arrest and detention used, especially during the 1974-1977 period, so that there were no eyewitnesses to the arrests, sometimes preventing the Commission from coming to a conviction on what had happened;

    • Disappearance of bodies;

    • Lack of information on these events from within the institutions to which those responsible belonged, which in many instances was explained on the grounds that the relevant files had been burned;

    • The natural reluctance of many people not directly involved to testify to the Commission either on practical grounds or out of fear;

    • The death or disappearance of relevant witnesses or difficulty in finding them after so many years;

    • The fact that in many instances the events had taken place more than seventeen years previously;

    • The fact that families had often scattered around the world due to exile or for other reasons, such as the search for employment and developments within families;

    • The age of family members and witnesses, who sometimes observed the events when they were very small children and hence had very distant memories of what had happened; or at the opposite extreme, were along in years when the events took place and are now old or infirm and have difficulty simply getting to the appointed place to give testimony;

    • The fact that crucial testimony was sometimes unavailable because other family members preferred to avoid subjecting mothers,, fathers, wives, partners, or children who had witnessed what happened to the trauma of giving testimony and thus having to relive enormous suffering;

    • Finally, the fact that in many cases examined by this Commission, the relatives had never made a complaint to any human rights agency, because they were afraid to do so, or they lived in remote parts of the country where these agencies were not present, or for other reasons. This was a serious obstacle and sometimes made it impossible to carry out a more complete and timely investigation when such complaints were presented, especially in the regions.

    We believe that these observations are enough to indicate why the Commission was unable to gather enough objective evidence in some cases within its mandate to declare that people were the victims of human rights violations. 642 people fall into the category of cases which are unresolved because the Commission did not come to a conviction.

    Fully aware of the seriousness of the complaints presented, this Commission believes that in many of the cases here declared unresolved such obstacles may in the future be overcome, new evidence or observations may be presented to prove that they truly constituted human rights violations resulting in death, and that they should therefore be regarded as falling into one of the categories the Commission assigned for such violations. Other cases may be decided otherwise.

    This Commission is conscious of the significance of a decision to refrain from declaring particular persons to be victims of human rights violations for the circumstantial reasons mentioned. The Commission trusts that in the future they will be acknowledged as victims if such is proven to be the case. It is absolutely necessary that procedures for doing so remain available. That is the reason for the recommendation made in Part Four, Chapter Three.

  2. UNRESOLVED CASES

    By way of example, we now present brief accounts of some of the cases declared unresolved. Even though a conviction has not been reached, these cases are serious enough that they could be declared to be human rights violations should additional material on which to base a judgement be made available.

    René ACEVEDO ESPINOZA, a construction worker and labor union leader in Viña del Mar. A navy patrol arrested him November 11, 1973. He was taken to Armored Cavalry Regiment No. 4 (Corsairs) in Viña del Mar. His dead body was said to have turned up at the naval hospital on November 14. The Commission could not come to a conviction that he was a victim of a human rights violation because there was no documentary proof of his death.

    Germán ACEVEDO FARIÑA, a merchant who was active in the Socialist party, a member of the security team of the central committee, and a labor leader until 1973. His relatives say that on the night of November 7, 1977, he and two fellow store owners took a taxi. Because it was late at night, the taxi driver left them at bus stop 16 in Santa Rosa, and they had to continue on foot. Shortly thereafter police from the La Castrina police station arrested them for violating curfew. At 7 a.m. the next day he was released after paying bail. Since his fellow store owner did not have enough money to pay his own bail, Acevedo went back to his store to look for money to give him. He came back to the station, but they did not have change, so he set out once more to get change and then came back. Since that moment there has been no further contact with him.

    The Chilean Police subsequently said that he had committed suicide in a cell in the Fourth station at 10:00 a.m. The jail log indicates that he was brought in at 10:05 a.m. His relatives were told that he had hung himself with his trousers, by tying them around his neck and around the jail door. They do not believe that account for the following reasons: he had no reason to make such a decision; it is unusual that he should be arrested twice at different police stations; there is no indication of why he was arrested; his pants had been cut, not ripped and had signs of urine, which would indicate that he had them on; his body showed no signs of a hanging; and finally, there were signs of torture on his body, signs of burns on his chest, armpits, and head, and there was a suture on his skull. The autopsy report agrees with the police account and is also at odds with what the family says in other respects. Faced with contradictory accounts and without any other items of proof, this Commission did not come to a conviction on how German Acevedo died.

    José Ernesto AGURTO ARCE, 27, unmarried, had been a teacher at the Universidad del Norte and was active in the MIR. At the time of the coup he was living in Antofagasta, and his family says he was very afraid. He went to stay with some relatives in Santiago and disappeared around February 1975. Since the Commission has no further evidence, it cannot come to a conviction on what happened to him.

    Hugo Fernando AMAYA SEPULVEDA, 35, unmarried, and according to some indications may have been a MIR member. His family says that after the coup he visited them secretly in Concepción, and told them he was being pursued by the security services. He was last heard from in July 1976; since then his whereabouts remain unknown. Without further information, this Commission cannot come to a conviction on what happened to Amaya.

    Patricio del Rosario ARAYA OSORIO, 28, a construction worker. He disappeared March 12, 1976, after getting off a bus of the Horizonte line at the Borjas bus station. He had come from San Antonio to Santiago to visit his brother Manuel, an active Communist who was then underground. The Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on this case.

    José Emiliano BALBOA BENITEZ, 79, a retired widower who was an active Christian Democrat. His son says he was arrested by two police from Quilaco at home at about 6:00 p.m. on September 16, 1973. Since that day his family has had no further word about him. The Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on whether his human rights were violated.

    Silvio Francisco BETTANCOURT BAHAMONDES, an unmarried petrochemical engineer who was active in MAPU. On September 12, 1973, his name appeared on a list of people summoned by the military authorities; he therefore decided to leave Punta Arenas where he lived, and go to Argentina. He set out sometime between September 14 and 16. A friend went with him to the outskirts of Punta Arenas. There has been no further word on his whereabouts since his departure. Military officials never acknowledged that he had been arrested, and for a time they even looked for him and interrogated other prisoners on his whereabouts. This Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on what happened to him.

    Néctor del Carmen BRAVO FERNANDEZ, 39, a worker. He was not politically active and had not suffered repression before. He had left Chile in December 1973, and gone to live in Argentina where he found work. On April 10, 1974, he started back to Santiago to be with his family. His sister went to say good-bye as he took the train from Buenos Aires. He never arrived in Santiago. Subsequent investigation refuted the government's 1975 assertion to the press and the United Nations that Néctor Bravo was living in Mendoza. Nevertheless, this Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on how Néctor Bravo disappeared or on whether agents of the Chilean government were responsible.

    Jaime Humberto CALDES CONTRERAS, 23, unmarried, was studying political science at the University of Chile and was active in the MIR. His family has stated that on December 14, 1974, army troops clashed with a group of MIR activists in an apartment at Calle Estado 115 in Santiago. David Navarrete, a soldier, was killed in that gun battle and several MIR members were captured. One of them was Caldés who was wounded and was taken to the hospital at the Catholic University where they say he died. According to the official account, Caldés was not among those captured. This Commission has not been able to verify whether Jaime Caldés was arrested, was treated at the hospital, or died, and hence it has not reached a conviction on what happened to him.

    Sergio Antonio CAMPOS ARAYA, 38, a married merchant who was active in the Communist party. His' family says that Sergio Campos escaped from the hospital in Talca in November 1973, and told one of his sons that he intended to cross the border. Subsequently his relatives found his body at the morgue in Temuco. It was said to have been discovered at Cerro Ñiebol and registered anonymously. His family was told that he was killed as he was trying to remove a briefcase from a car. On the basis of the evidence provided, it cannot be clearly established under what circumstances nor at whose hands he was killed, and hence the Commission cannot come to a conviction that his human rights were violated.

    Juan Francisco CANALES CAÑETE, a worker and an active Communist. His relatives say that he went to Mendoza, Argentina in 1974 in order to work. He then moved to Sarmiento. In 1977 an acquaintance of his who allegedly worked as a DINA agent in Chile (although Canales was unaware of that fact) was in Argentina looking for left activists. He offered Canales the opportunity to do demolition work in the capital at better pay than what he was receiving. His relatives were told that he had accepted the job. On January 2 he fell down an elevator shaft and was killed, according to the alleged DINA agent. They question that story in view of that person's role. Lacking further evidence, this Commission did not come to any conviction on how Juan Canales died.

    Mario Arnaldo CARCAMO CARCAMO, 51, an office worker who was president of the union at the company where he worked. He was arrested by soldiers in Iquique on December 6, 1973. He was taken to the prison camp in Pisagua where he was held until February 11, 1974. He was then sent to internal exile in La Tirana. He died of lung cancer in December 1977. Mario Cárcamo told his relatives that he was repeatedly tortured while he was imprisoned. The Commission cannot come to a conviction on whether Mario Cárcamo died as a result of human rights violations, since the evidence gathered does not make it possible to establish a causal connection between the mistreatment to which he was subjected and his death.

    Jaime Juan CARCAMO SALDAÑA, 24. He was jailed in Parral shortly after the military coup and released on October 15, 1973. After his release he was followed by police. On November 19, 1973, his dead body was found in the brush on the road between Copihue and Parral. Without further evidence, this Commission was unable to come to a conviction on this case.

    Juan Carlos CARDENAS PEREZ, 24, a married worker. Relatives say that police found the body on a public thoroughfare on February 5, 1974. They are said to have told his wife that he had been run over. However, she doubts that account and blames the military who she believes were operating during curfew. That last assertion seems to contradict the death certificate which situates the time of death as 11:30 a.m. This Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on what happened to Cardenas.

    Marcelino CARDENAS VILLEGAS, 40, was a heavy equipment operator on the Pilmaiquén estate who had leftist sympathies. Testimony received indicates that on December 28, 1973, he returned to his house in Pilmaiquén after he had been jailed by a military prosecutor's office and then released. That night police from the Salto Pilmaiquén checkpoint, which was under the authority of the Third station in Rahue Bajo, Osorno, came and arrested him again. They are said to have killed another person in the house. The evidence gathered by the Commission indicates that he was executed after his arrest, but for lack of evidence the Commission was unable to come to a conviction on whether his human rights were violated.

    David Elías CARMONA VENEGAS, 59, an office worker. He failed to show up to meet his sister on May 30, 1974, in order to travel together as they had previously arranged. Since then his family has had no information on his fate or his whereabouts. His death is recorded in the Civil Registry. It is said to have taken place May 30, 1974, due to "thoracic and cephalic trauma affecting the backbone and viscera and acute blood loss." Lacking further evidence, this Commission did not come to any conviction on the what caused the death of David Carmona.

    Alfonso Andrés CARREÑO DIAZ, a typesetter, had been head of transportation at ENAMI [National Mining Company] during the previous government. He was active in the Communist party and secretary of the Andean regional committee and a member of the organizational commission of the party's central committee. On July 7, 1974, he left his house, and there was no further word on him until July 31, when his wife received a call from the air force hospital. She was told that he was there and that she should go to see him. A doctor told her that he had had a bleeding ulcer, and that the operation attempted the night before had failed since he had died of a heart attack. She was not given any explanation of how he had arrived there. When she viewed his body she could see that his legs were bruised with signs that electricity had been applied. He had not had an ulcer before being arrested. The autopsy report says that the cause of death was a generalized purulent peritonitis and bilateral pneumonia with red hepaticization; the autopsy also revealed a cardiac hypertrophy, a gastrectomy for bleeding ulcer with gastrojejunal anastomosis, along with nephrosclerosis. Witnesses say he was held under arrest at the Air War Academy. The Commission believed that it did not have enough evidence to determine whether government agentes were responsible for his death.

    María Loreto CASTILLO MUÑOZ, a MIR activist. On May 19, 1984, hours after a gun battle in which Jorge Eduardo Muñoz Navarro was killed, according to a CNI statement, María Loreto was killed in an explosion below a high voltage tower. The report said that a bomb that she was trying to set off exploded. However, one person testified to this Commission that both Castillo and Muñoz were arrested during the night and held at the same detention site, but then were killed by CNI agents at different locations. The evidence gathered was not enough to enable the Commission to come to a conviction on what happened.

    Ricardo José CASTRO SAEZ, 41, a married carpenter, and there is some evidence that he was active in the Communist party. His family says that on January 13, 1974, he set out on a picnic with colleagues from work but did not return. They were told that he had drowned, but they also received reports that he had been arrested in a dispute with police. On the basis of the evidence it holds, the Commission cannot come to a conviction on what happened to him.

    Juana del Carmen COFRE CATRIL, 22, worked in administration at the Panguipulli Lumber and Forestry Complex and was active in the Socialist party. She was in hiding in Huellelhue, inside the complex, because the military in Valdivia accused her of having committed subversive actions and were bent on capturing her. The evidence gathered indicates that she committed suicide in Huellelhue under the pressure of circumstances, and that local people buried her nearby. The Commission was unable to come to a conviction on whether she was a victim of human rights violations because it was unable to confirm that this was in fact what had happened.

    Juan Antonio COLIHUINCA RAILAF, a peasant league leader and an active Communist. He was found dead on June 4, 1978, near the railroad station in Púa, Victoria. The official report stated that he had been run over by a train. His relatives are skeptical of that account, and think it may have been a political crime. However, the evidence gathered by the Commission does not enable it to come to a conviction on what happened.

    Luis Omar CONTRERAS GODOY, 29, was a married master ironworker. His wife told this Commission that on September 26, 1973, he left his house in Chillán and went downtown looking for work. Since that day his family has had no further word about him. The Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on what happened in this case.

    Carlos Patricio DALL'ORZO BADILLA, a leader of the union of artisans in La Caldera. He was arrested in June 1978 at his home by DINA agents who were beating him as they did so. He was then put on trial for breaking the State Security Law and was held in prison for seven months. He later developed kidney disease, which worsened until it turned into a major kidney problem. He was then forced to be hospitalized for long periods of time and to have to undergo dialysis three times a week. He was arrested again in 1986, this time by investigative police, and was accused of setting some transportation vans on fire. Again he was mistreated, and because of his delicate health he had to be hospitalized. He died later, after he had been released without charges. Even though this Commission has proof that he was tortured, it does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction that the torture was the exact cause of his fatal illness.

    Luis Herminio DAVILA GARCIA, 21, a merchant who was not known to be politically active. Information provided to this Commission indicates that on September 18, 1973, he came to a house in the Isabel Riquelme shantytown in the San Miguel district. He saw the police as they were carrying out a raid on a house during which one person was wounded. Then on October 15, 1973, he went back to the house and again encountered police. When he saw them he is said to have gone running, and the police shot at him and hit him in the legs. They put him onto a truck from the San Joaquín police station. One of his brothers went there looking for Dávila, who is said to have been very seriously wounded, merely for what is described here. Since then there has been no further word about Luis Dávila. The Commission could not come to a conviction on whether his human rights were violated since it did not have proof of the account given here.

    Alfonso Domingo DIAZ BRIONES, 22, unmarried, had studied civil engineering at the State Technical University and was active in the MIR. He had been living underground since the security forces had arrested a friend of his. He was last seen June 5, 1974, when he said he was being followed. In June 1974 his parents' house was visited twice, first by members of the investigative police and then by unidentified civilians. Both times they asked where Alfonso Díaz could be found. On the basis of the evidence it gathered, the Commission is unable to come to a conviction on whether Alfonso Díaz was arrested by government agents.

    Guillermo José DIAZ LONCOMILLA, a dock worker who was active in the Chilean Communist party and a labor leader. Police from the Puerto Montt prefecture arrested him, shooting and gravely wounding him in the process. He was taken to the jail in Puerto Montt, where he was tried before a war tribunal for illegal possession of weapons, and was sentenced to eight years in prison. He died of cancer some time later. The Commission was unable to come to a conviction that his death was the result of a human rights violation, since it was not established that he died from the torture he underwent while under arrest.

    Alfredo DURAN DURAN, who worked at the Civil Registry in Catillo, was on the job for only two months. According to hearsay testimony, police from the Catillo checkpoint arrested him on October 13, 1973. The Commission received accounts that he and four other local people were taken to the prison in Parral. However, representatives at the prison denied that he was being held. There has been no further information about him. This Commission did not come to a conviction on this case for lack of further information.

    Luis ERRAZURIZ VELIZ, 40, an unmarried merchant. His relatives say that on February 7, 1974, he was arrested where he worked by four men in plainclothes who were apparently police. Without further information, the Commission cannot come to a conviction on what happened to him.

    Tatiana Valentina FARIÑA CONCHA was active in the Young Communists. The newspapers reported that she died May 14, 1985, when a bomb she was carrying exploded at the Social Action Service of the Lo Prado municipality. Susana Sánchez Espinoza, a municipal employee, also received several wounds. Tatiana Fariña's relatives, however, say that she was killed by government agents because of her political activity and her work among students. Although it has at hand the judicial investigation that was carried out (which is temporarily suspended), this Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on what happened.

    Lorenzo FLORES FLORES, 39, worked as a newspaper vendor and sold El Siglo. He was active in the Communist party. He had been arrested in San Felipe immediately after the events of September 11, 1973, and was held for a week. When he was released, he returned to the house of a congressional deputy for that area where he lived and took care of the deputy's daughters. The deputy and his wife had decided to go into hiding since the military were looking for them. Information received indicates that on October 23 or 24, he was arrested again by police from La Ligua and brought to the local police unit. He was taken out by night to an unknown destination. Nothing has been known about his whereabouts to this day; since that moment he has not carried out any government business, nor is he registered as having left the country or having died. The Commission was unable to come to a conviction on whether he had died of a human rights violation for lack of sufficient evidence to that effect.

    Blas Emilio FLORES PINO, 41, a married merchant who was sympathetic to the Socialist party. His family says that in January 1982, he travelled from his home in Rancagua to Santiago and that there has been no further information on him. Lacking further information, this Commission cannot come to a conviction on what happened to him.

    Ruben FUENTES CORTES is said to have died of a bullet wound near the cemetery in Maipú, on the night of August 12, 1983, the date of the fourth National Protest. A witness told the press, "Several young people set up a barricade with wood and tires and were shouting on the corner, when a police van pulled up. They began shooting, the young people all ran away and Fuentes Cortés was hit and fell down." On the basis of the evidence it received, the Commission cannot come to a conviction on his death and the surrounding circumstances.

    Manuel FUENTES VIDAL, a lumber worker at the Panguipilli Lumber and Forestry Complex who was not known to be politically active. He disappeared from his workplace in early October 1973, and his whereabouts have remained unknown since that time. The Commission has not been able to come to a conviction on whether he suffered a fatal human rights violation, since it could not be established that he was arrested nor is he registered as having died.

    Carlos Alberto GALAN MANCILLA, 26, unmarried, and there is some evidence that he belonged to the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front. His family says that he was arrested in Santiago in November 1988. A television news program reported that he and other activists in that subversive organization had been arrested. Since this Commission has no further evidence, it cannot come to a conviction on what happened to him.

    Ernesto GALLARDO ZAPATA, 30. Accounts obtained from a human rights organization indicate that on September 25, 1973, while he was being held in the jail in Arauco, he was killed by police after he momentarily went crazy and attacked prison guards. Because the evidence is insufficient, this Commission has not been able to come to a conviction on how he died.

    Sergio Alberto GAJARDO HIDALGO, 15, an unmarried high school student. He was arrested October 23, 1973, in the Ramón Cruz neighborhood of the Ñuñoa district, as he was walking toward his sister's house. The accounts given by his family indicate that witnesses saw him being arrested and that he was put into a white vehicle. His whereabouts have remained unknown since then. For lack of sufficient evidence, the Commission has been unable to come to a conviction on whether he suffered a fatal human rights violation.

    José Manuel GARCIA ORELLANA, a Ladeco Airlines employee who belonged to the MIR. He was killed January 6, 1977, in an aviation accident on the ground. The family questions that account and suspects that he died of politically motivated foul play. Nevertheless, the evidence gathered by the Commission does not provide enough material to enable it to come to a conviction on what happened.

    Héctor GARZAN MORILLO was arrested by police on October 2, 1973, along with José Héctor Luque Schurmann and Héctor Gustavo Marín Alvarez for not having their identification papers. They were at the Baquedano train station in Antofagasta and were attempting to travel to the southern part of the country. The newspapers at that time indicated that five miles out of Antofagasta on the Salar del Carmen road, as they were being taken to their detention site, they tried to run away and were executed by police. This Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on how they died.

    Susana del Rosario GOMEZ ANDRADE, 32, married. She went out for a walk in Arica at about 5:00 p.m. on September 12, 1973. There has been no further information on her. Her relatives have testified to this Commission that Susana Gómez was emotionally disturbed and had been diagnosed as having schizophrenia, and that at that moment she was especially disturbed. All the steps necessary for discovering her whereabouts were taken, but there was no information on her. Since no witnesses have testified that she was arrested; curfew was not in effect when she went out to walk; and she suffered mental disorders that caused her to lose her memory, this Commission has not been able to come to a conviction that Susana Gómez suffered a fatal human rights violation.

    Enrique GONZALEZ ANGULO, 22, was not known to be politically active. He was arrested on October 2, 1973, by police from the Salto de Pilmaiquén checkpoint, which was under the authority of the Third station in Rahue Bajo, Osorno, according to testimony received by the Commission. Since that day there has been no further information about him. For lack of evidence that would confirm the statements made by those witnesses the Commission was unable to come to a conviction on whether he suffered a fatal human rights violation.

    Jorge Iván GONZALEZ AVALOS died August 12, 1983, the day of the fourth National Protest, from cervical and thoracic trauma caused by a perforating bullet wound. The Commission was unable to examine evidence on how he died nor on how it might be connected to political violence, and hence could not come to a conviction that he was a victim.

    Fernando GONZALEZ CALQUIN, 32, a former member of the presidential bodyguard who was an active member of the Socialist party. His relatives testified to this Commission that their contact with him was only occasional even before September 11, 1973, due to his political activity. In October 1973 he went to say good-bye to one of his children, and said that he planned to go away, and did not know when he would return. He explicitly asked them not to try to find him. Since there are no witnesses that he was arrested, and since he told a son that he was leaving, and explicitly asked them not to look for him, this Commission has not been able to come to a conviction that he suffered a fatal human rights violation or political violence.

    José Gilberto GONZALEZ DE LA TORRE, 44, worked as a farmer and was not known to be politically active. Witnesses say that sometime in early January 1974, police from the Salto Pilmaiquén checkpoint, which was under the authority of the Third station in Rahue Bajo, Osorno, arrested him at the boarding house where he lived. A few days previously the owner of the boarding house had been arrested, and the domestic servant had been found dead. After being arrested, González is said to have been executed and his body was left nearby. For lack of sufficient evidence, the Commission was unable to come to a conviction that he had suffered a fatal human rights violation or political violence.

    Francisco Javier GONZALEZ MORALES, 22, a truck mechanic who was not known to be politically active. He was killed November 27, 1973. Witnesses had observed him being arrested at about 4:00 p.m. November 25, as he was entering a movie theater in downtown Santiago. The arrest was made by members of the investigative police, and they took him to their headquarters on Calle General Mackenna. According to his family, the investigative police said that he was going to be released the next day. On November 27, however, they were told that González had hung himself in his cell with his shirt. The family says that González was being accused of being involved in the so-called "Plan Leopard." The evidence presented and that which the Commission has been able to gather do not provide a basis for establishing that he died at the hands of government agents.

    Celso Alamiro GUAJARDO BETANCOURT, a worker who was active in the Socialist party. He was beaten with rifle butts and kicked by troops from the Tejas Verdes Regiment as they were searching his house on November 21, 1973. Afterwards he began to vomit blood and had a fever. He died of many causes January 14, 1974, according to the autopsy report. This Commission is not in a position to attribute them to the mistreatment described, and hence it could not come to a conviction on whether he was a victim of political violence.

    Carmen GUTIERREZ SOTO, 14, a high school student. Her relatives say that on September 13, 1973, she and a sister took advantage of the fact that permission had been given to people to leave their houses to buy some groceries. There were many people in line at the bakery. Suddenly the bread supply gave out, and the people began to protest. A police van pulled up to bring matters under control. The police began to disperse the crowd and shot into the air. Everyone began to run, but Carmen fell to the ground. One of her brothers who had been told what happened came to the area and saw that she had a bullet wound on the back of her head. The relatives say it was very difficult to get permission to have her buried; they did not have a death certificate since the body had been picked up on a public thoroughfare. They say that a doctor at the Barros Luco Hospital later helped them and wrote them a certificate stating that the cause of death was "rheumatic fever." Thus they were able to bury her. This Commission did not come to a conviction on what happened, and hence it could not determine the exact cause of death.

    Juan Antonio HERRERA CLAVERIA, 42, had been a municipal worker in Valparaíso and was active in the Socialist party. The accounts the Commission has received indicate that on September 7, 1973 [sic], a navy patrol came and shot him down in his home. They then took his body to the Van Búren Hospital in Valparaíso where he died shortly thereafter. For lack of enough evidence, the Commission was unable to come to a conviction on whether he was a victim of a human rights violation.

    Héctor Alfonso INOSTROZA PAREDES, 21, unmarried. He was last seen at about 7:00 p.m. on September 24, 1973, by one of his sisters in the Contreras Gómez shantytown in the city of Los Angeles. The family received accounts from witnesses that he and other people were arrested for curfew violation. The family looked for him in a number of sites but was unable to determine his whereabouts. The Commission did not come to a conviction on this case because it regards the evidence presented as insufficient to determine what happened to Héctor Inostroza.

    Mauricio Edmundo JORQUERA ENCINA, 19, an unmarried student leader who was active in the Revolutionary Left Movement. He was arrested August 5, 1974, by unidentified civilians. According to information supplied by his relatives, he was arrested that day and has not been heard from again. However, he is registered as having renewed his identification card in December 1974. Because it received this information only toward the end of its work and could not carry out a thorough investigation, the Commission has not come to a conviction on this case.

    José Domingo LEIVA DIAZ, 23, was unmarried and had leftist sympathies. The family has testified to the Commission that he was a second corporal in the band at the Military Academy. His parents, who live in Valparaíso, have had no information on him since September 1973. The Commission cannot come to a conviction on whether José Leiva was a victim of a human rights violation because it does not have enough evidence.

    Javier LEON PAULSEN, president of the labor union of the Shyf workers and active in the Communist party. According to his relatives, between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. on September 28, 1975, he left the union offices on Calle Salvador where he had spent the night. He was walking. His family says that at the corner of Calle Lincoyán he was stopped by a car. Four civilians got out, and one of them immediately shot him to death. They then put a pistol in his mouth to simulate suicide. This Commission has not been able to gather more evidence to confirm this account, and hence it has not come to a conviction on this case.

    Eugenio Pascual LIRA MASSI, a journalist. He was living in exile in Paris. He had taken asylum in the French embassy after being summoned by the junta to report to the authorities. On June 9, 1975, he was found dead in his apartment in Paris. He had apparently died of natural causes, and hence there was no judicial investigation nor was any autopsy performed. The Commission has received evidence that the DINA killed him using a special gas. Indeed, on the day Lira died a prominent DINA agent was in Paris. Nevertheless, this Commission did not obtain enough evidence to enable it to come to a conviction on what caused the death of Eugenio Lira.

    José Héctor LUQUE SCHURMANN was arrested by police on October 2, 1973, along with Héctor Garzán Morillo and Héctor Gustavo Marín Alvarez at the Baquedano train station in Antofagasta. They were arrested for not having their proper identification papers, when they were setting out toward the southern part of the country. The newspapers at that time indicated that five kilometers outside of Antofagasta on the Salar del Carmen road, as they were being taken to their detention site, they tried to run away and hence were executed by police. This Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on how they died.

    John Patricio MALHUE GONZALEZ, 21, worked as a driver in the Employment Plan for Heads of Households. The Commission has received evidence indicating that on the morning of August 4, 1986, he was killed when a bomb went off in the car he drove and which he was going to park near the Libertadores Regiment. The Commission has been told that third parties took advantage of John Malhue in this case, but it does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on the matter.

    Héctor Gustavo MARIN ALVAREZ was arrested by police on October 2, 1973, along with Héctor Garzán Morillo and José Héctor Luque Schurmann, at the Banquedano train station in Antafogasta for not having their identification papers as they were setting out toward the southern part of the country. Newspapers at that time reported that five miles outside Antofagasta on the Salar del Carmen road, as they were being taken to their detention site, they tried to run away and hence were executed by police. This Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on how they died.

    Mario MARTINEZ RODRIGUEZ, a Christian Democrat who was the general secretary of Feusach and finance secretary of Confech. On Saturday, August 2, 1986, about noon, Mario Martínez left his house in the La Florida district and told his parents that he was going to the house of a friend to return his backpack and some books, but he never arrived. On August 4, a farmer found Martinez's body at the Las Rocas beach in Santo Domingo. He was still clothed and had on a backpack. The autopsy report says that the cause of death was drowning, and found no proof of bruises that would indicate foul play. This Commission has been told that Martínez felt he was being followed and was in danger stemming from his activity as a student leader. Furthermore, he was working on a report on the security agents who were operating in the University of Santiago. Finally, his body was found on the beach in Santo Domingo even though he had never mentioned having been there. Taken all together, these facts raise doubts about the causes of his death. This Commission does not have enough proof to come to a conviction on what happened.

    Victoriano MATUS HERMOSILLA, 39, was a worker at the Panguipulli Logging and Forestry Complex. Although he was not politically active, he had had ties to some members of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (MCR) and to MIR activists. He was arrested after September 11, 1973, and released some days later. The Commission received testimony that on January 15, 1974, he was arrested again by police from Panguipulli. A few days later his family was told that he was being transferred to Valdivia. He never arrived there, but turned up dead along the road under circumstances that could not be determined. The Commission could not come to a conviction on whether he was a victim of a human rights violation, because it did not have enough evidence on how he died.

    Danilo MENESES AVILES, 38, a married civil engineer who was an active member of the Socialist party. On May 16, 1975, he left home to go to a soccer game and never returned. Lacking further evidence, the Commission cannot come to a conviction on what happened to Danilo Meneses.

    Oscar Hernán MIRANDA SEGOVIA, 17, a news vendor who was not known to be active in politics or labor unions. According to accounts given to the Commission, while riding his bicycle he ran into a relative of someone who collaborated with the Melipilla police in carrying out repression. Private citizens therefore apprehended him and turned him in to the police. To this day there has been no information on his whereabouts. The Commission could not come to a conviction on whether he was the victim of a human rights violation because it was unable to gather more specific information on the fact of his arrest and his subsequent whereabouts.

    Enrique Segundo MOLINA CANDIA, 32, was a reserve subofficer in the marines. He had worked on a Russian fishing boat that operated out of Valparaíso. When he was arrested he was taking a course at the Coastal Defense Regiment at Las Salinas. He was not politically active. On an unspecifified date, shortly after September 11, 1973, he was arrested at his home by members of the navy and transferred to the El Belloto naval air base where he was held for a few days. Later he was held in solitary confinement at the Naval War Academy. Both these locations were used for holding political prisoners. On November 19, 1973, Enrique Molina committed suicide in his cell at the War Academy. His body was sent from Valparaíso to the morgue in Viña del Mar. The navy reported that he had been accused of several common crimes. His criminal file and other documentation indicate that he was not subjected to any judicial process. The Commission could not come to a conviction on whether his death was the result of a human rights violation, because it could not determine whether it was the result of foul play. Likewise it could not be determined whether he may have been impelled to take his own life by the conditions of his confinement.

    César Manuel del Carmen MUÑOZ CALDERON, 26, an electrician who lived and worked in Collipilli. On October 26, 1974, his family, which lived in the area of Sagrada Familia, received a letter from one of his co-workers indicating that Muñoz had disappeared and that his identification papers were at the court in Collipulli. The judge is said to have told them that soldiers had found his papers and his parka at the Malleco Bridge, and that even though the police were looking for him, they did not know where he was. Subsequently, the family is said to have received a letter from the police telling them that a body had been found and was at the Collipulli morgue. When they went there, they were told that the body had been buried without being identified. This Commission has not been able to verify the possible arrest, detention at a military or police facility, or death of this alleged victim, much less whether government agents may have been involved. Hence it was unable to come to come to a conviction on what happened to him.

    Carlos Abel MUÑOZ MESIAS, a married miner who was active in the Communist party. He was arrested shortly after the coup at the Central El Toro where he worked as a miner and was also a labor union leader. His family has testified that he was tortured during this period and hence was taken to the local hospital. He escaped from the hospital in mid-October 1973, and went to his house in Talca where he remained hidden for about a month. During that time people who never identified themselves continually came looking for him. On November 28, 1973, while he was in very poor health, as he told his wife, he left the house for the first time in order to go to the doctor. That very day he was found dead along the railroad tracks. This Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on how he died.

    Jorge Eduardo MUÑOZ NAVARRO, a MIR activist. He died May 18, 1984. The CNI has said that early that morning two individuals were caught in a suspicious situation at the bottom of a high voltage tower in the Renca district. When they were ordered to halt, one of them fired a gun, and there ensued a shootout in which Muñoz was killed. His partner escaped. Some hours later María Loreto Castillo Muñoz was killed in an explosion. However, a witness told this Commission that both were arrested by night and held at the same detention site, and then killed by CNI agents at different locations. The evidence gathered was insufficient to enable the Commission to come to a conviction on what happened.

    Alberto MUÑOZ POLANCO, an agent of the Banco del Estado in María Elena who had socialist ideas. He died October 7, 1976, of a brain hemorrhage. The family thinks that there could have been politically motivated foul play, but the Commission does not have enough of the material that would be needed for it to accept that account.

    Néstor Edgardo NAVEA CORTES, an army second corporal who belonged to the presidential guard company which provided the president with security. The official account was that he was killed July 17, 1986, at the Military Academy when a gun fell off a rack and went off, and he was hit by the bullet. The kinds of wounds on the body, the fact that it was not his weapon, and his skill in handling weapons have made his relatives skeptical of that story. This Commission nonetheless does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on what happened.

    Vicente OLIVARES STEVENS, a retiree and active member of the Communist party. Nothing was heard of him after March 2, 1974, when he went to collect his retirement check. Then on March 4 someone told his relatives that he was dead on a public thoroughfare in the Nogales shantytown in Santiago. The family says his body showed signs of having been beaten, and there was a major wound on his back. That account could not be confirmed through other sources, and seems to contradict what is stated on the autopsy report. The Commission, moreover, has no evidence on anyone alleged to have been involved in what happened. This Commission therefore does not have sufficient material on which to come to a conviction on what happened in this case.

    Manuel Aristides OÑATE MORA, 35, a married master ironworker. His relatives say that one day during the second half of October 1973, he left his home at about 8:00 a.m. on his way to work. There was no further word on his whereabouts. They initiated procedures to have him declared presumably dead, and the declaration was finally issued in 1984. During the course of the Commission's investigation into the whereabouts of Manuel Oñate, the international police stated that a Manuel Oñate Mora, of Chilean nationality, born in 1938 or 1939, with identification card No. 141526, is registered as having left the country February 17, 1975, and there is no record of any subsequent reentry. In view of the foregoing, the Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on this case.

    Pedro Juan ORELLANA VILLA, 28, an unmarried furniture maker who was active in the Socialist party. On September 30, 1973, at about 6:30 p.m. he was found gravely injured with a bullet wound to the head at the municipal lagoon in San Carlos. He later died of that wound. The autopsy report says that the exact cause of death was a bullet wound to the cerebral cranium typical of suicide. A police report found in the court process for presumed homicide says that he was found lying in some blackberry bushes, had wounds on the face, and was bleeding from both eyes. It also says he still had valuables on him, and hence robbery was discounted as a motive. The weapon that had caused the injuries was not found. The Commission has not been able to come to a conviction on what happened, for even though there are some signs pointing to possible foul play in the death of Pedro Orellana, his death may not have been a human rights violation, but rather a common crime. The Commission has borne in mind the nature of the wounds and the fact that the judicial case was ultimately suspended without determining who was responsible for his death.

    Javier Ernesto PARADA VALENZUELA, 25, married, had studied agronomy, and was active in the MIR. His family says that he had been arrested after September 11, 1973, and held in Temuco for about a month. Afterwards he and his wife went to Santiago to live. They are said to have been under continual pursuit, and hence had been forced to separate. In November 1976, an aunt who owned the house where he lived told his wife that he had been arrested. Lacking further evidence, this Commission cannot come to a conviction on what happened to Javier Parada.

    Gabriel PERALTA ESPINOZA, 54, an interior government local representative during the Popular Unity government who was active in the radical party. On October 28, 1973, he went fishing with some friends and did not return to the place where he was lodging. The next day his drowned body was found at the Calcurrupe River. It was wrapped up in his fishing line. The Commission could not come to a conviction on whether he was the victim of a human rights violation since it could not be certain whether his death was the result of foul play.

    Hernán PEREZ AGUIRRE, a married pensioner from the Ministry of Public Works. His family says that on November 1, 1974, he left his sister's house in the Renca district and has never been heard from again. Lacking further information, this Commission could not come to a conviction on what happened.

    Mario Alberto PILGREN ROA, 22, a married driver. His wife says that he was killed by police from Contulmo as he was violating curfew by driving his bus with passengers in it. This happened in the city square at 11:00 p.m. on a day in September 1973. His wife says that the body was taken to the morgue in Negrete and that their house was later searched. The Commission has not been able to come to the conviction that this was a case in which human rights were violated since the evidence presented is insufficient to do so.

    José Domingo PILQUINAO LLAULEN, a married farmer. His relatives came to the Commission and said that police had arrested him in Lautaro in 1973 but that they did not remember which month. The reason for the arrest was that he had allegedly committed robberies. They do not know where he was taken. In this case there is no official documentation of a death; the relatives do not know the date of the arrest, and they do not recall having engaged in any procedures to locate him. Hence this Commission does not have the evidence on which to come to a moral conviction that José Pilquinao's human rights were violated.

    Héctor Osvaldo PINEDA INOSTROZA, 25, a married day laborer at the Disputa Mining Company who was active in the MIR. On May 22, 1974, he was killed on the job. The mining company says that rocks fell down the mineshaft and hit him primarily on his head and killed him. The autopsy report is consistent with that account. Since the Commission has no other proof, it cannot come to a conviction on what happened to him.

    Alejandro PIZARRO SAN MARTIN. The Commission received testimony from a person who knew him that he was held under arrest along with Rubén Soto Soto and Luis Alberto Urrutia Sepulveda at the police station in Perquenco in September 1973. He is said to have been driven out to the road between Perquenco and Selva Oscura and killed. Since there are no statements from relatives, and no official report of his death, and since the exact date on which this is said to have happened is not known, this Commission does not have enough material on which to come to a moral conviction on whether he was the victim of a human rights violation.

    Benedicto POO ALVAREZ, 40, an unmarried independent farmer. His relatives have testified that police arrested him in September 1973 in Lautaro. There are no witnesses to his arrest, he is not recorded as having died, and the site to which he was taken is unknown. Since the evidence the Commission has examined is insufficient, it has not been possible to come to a conviction on whether Benedicto Poo's human rights were violated.

    Alicia Viviana RIOS CROCCO, a psychology student and MIR activist. The newspapers reported that at 4:00 p.m. December 22, 1984, she was riding a bicycle along Avenida San Eugenio when a bomb she had on the seat of her bicycle went off. Her body was thrown into an arc six meters high and ten meters forward, and she died instantly. Her relatives say that she was killed by government agents who had placed the bomb on her bicycle and set it off by remote control. The Commission was able to examine the judicial investigation and other evidence, but it did not find enough material to enable it to come to a conviction on what happened.

    Miguel Angel RIQUELME SOLIS, 25, merchant sailor, active Communist, and labor leader until September 11, 1973. On April 18, 1985, he went out with other sailors on the boat "Soraya" from Puerto Montt. On May 6 or 9 it was officially reported that the boat had shipwrecked. Among the names of the disappeared crew members as reported by the police was that of Miguel Riquelme. This Commission does not have enough material to come to a conviction on what happened to Miguel Riquelme about whom there has been no further information.

    Lorenzo RIVERA RAMIREZ, 36, a married pensioner from the merchant marine. His relatives had contact with a witness who says that in early October 1973, Rivera was in the Playa de Lota area. He had been drinking and consequently he is said to have insulted the armed forces and was arrested by a military patrol. The Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on this case.

    Osvaldo Gustavo ROJAS ORTIZ. The October 6, 1973, issue of La Tribuna in Los Angeles says that he was killed in an attempt to escape from a regiment along with other people. This information is not completely reliable since the Commission has verified that one of these people is still alive. Moreover, requests to the Civil Registry and other official agencies did not produce any evidence that could corroborate what was said in the newspaper account. For these reasons, the Commission was unable to come to a conviction on this case.

    María del Carmen RUIZ OJEDA, 45, a domestic servant who was not known to be politically active. On December 30, 1973, she was found dead at her workplace in Pilmaiquén. The owner of the house had been arrested by police from the Salto Pilmaiquén checkpoint, which was under the authority of the Third station in Rahue, Bajo Osorno, and taken away from that same site. Lacking sufficient evidence, the Commission was unable to come to a conviction on whether her human rights had been violated.

    José de las Nieves SAAVEDRA VERGARA, a farmer. He was taken from his house in the early morning of April 8, 1976, by three unknown men who beat him, put him into a vehicle, and drove off toward an unknown destination. Since that day there has been no further information on the whereabouts of José Saavedra. This Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on this case.

    Carlos SANTIBAÑEZ NAHUEL, a teacher who was active in the Socialist party. Police arrested him in September 1973, and he was held at the station in Nueva Imperial and then in the Temuco jail for three and a half months. The family says that when he was released he had been very much affected psychologically. He did not tell them he had been tortured physically, but they say they learned it through other means. Later they were subjected to house searches and hence were forced to move. Carlos SantibáÑez died on May 6, 1976. The Commission does not have enough evidence to connect Carlos Santibáñez's death with the torture he underwent in 1973.

    Juan SEPULVEDA GONZALEZ, 21, an unmarried university student. He disappeared September 23, 1973, after leaving his house in Los Angeles on his way to the university. His father says that in early October he went to the Red Cross in Los Angeles and saw his son's name on a list. The father says he wrote a message, but never received any answer. The Commission believes that the evidence presented is insufficient to come to the conviction that the disappearance of Juan Sepúlveda González was due to a human rights violation, particularly since the Red Cross says it does not have any record of such a person.

    Rubén SOTO SOTO. The Commission received testimony from a person who knew him indicating that he was held under arrest along with Alejandro Pizarro San Martín and Luis Alberto Urrutia Sepulveda at the police station in Perquenco in September 1973. He is said to have been driven out to the road between Perquenco and Selva Oscura and killed. Since there are no statements from relatives, and no official report of his death, and since the exact date on which this is said to have happened is not known, this Commission does not have enough material on which to come to a moral conviction on whether he was the victim of a human rights violation.

    Jacinto SUFAN SUFAN, 52, married, the mayor of Santa Bárbara and an active Socialist. His relatives say he was arrested in September 1973 by police and then taken to the Los Angeles Regiment. There he was repeatedly tortured and was released October 1, 1973. He is said to have had many open sores on his back. They say that he died on August 10, 1974, as a result of the mistreatment to which he was subjected while under arrest. This Commission does not have enough evidence to come to a conviction on how he died.

    José Gilberto TORRES GARCIA, 20, an artisan who also gathered and sold shellfish and was active in the Young Communists. The family testified to this Commission that a person whose name they did not remember had told them that on September 23, 1973, a truck with soldiers had come to the Las Machas beach in Arica and asked to see the identification papers of a group of six people, including José Torres. For unknown reasons, the troops shot at the group, killing some and arresting others. There is no official notification of his death, nor was there any record of the cases of the others who were supposedly arrested and killed. Hence the Commission could not come to a conviction on whether José Torres was a victim of a human rights violation.

    Luis Alberto URRUTIA SEPULVEDA. The Commission received testimony from a person who knew him indicating that he was held under arrest along with Rubén Soto and Alejandro Pizarro San Martín at the police station in Perquenco in September 1973. He is said to have been driven out to the road between Perquenco and Selva Oscura and killed. Since there are no statements from relatives, and no official report of his death, and since the exact date on which this is said to have happened is not known, this Commission does not have enough material on which to come to a moral conviction on whether he was the victim of a human rights violation.

    Luis Oscar VALENZUELA LEIVA, 22, a sociology student at the University of Chile. He was active in FER (Revolutionary Students Front). When he disappeared he was living underground and was sleeping at the homes of different relatives, including occasionally his parents' house. Security agents raided that house in late 1974 and among the things they took was Luis Valenzuela's agenda book. He was last seen January 10, 1975, when he told a relative that he was being pursued and was about to be captured. There has been no further information on him since then. This Commission has not been able to verify that he was arrested or held at any detention site. However, in view of the characteristics of that period and his political involvement, the possibility that he may have been arrested and disappeared at the hands of government agents cannot be discounted.

    José Miguel VARGAS VALENZUELA, 26, active in the Socialist party. On September 26, 1973, his body was found at the corner of Calles Estados Unidos and José Joaquín Pérez. Information received indicates that he was killed by shots fired in a gun battle. The cause of death listed on official documents was a generalized purulent peritonitis. This Commission could not come to a conviction on the cause of José Vargas's death, since his injuries may have been caused by a bullet, but the destruction done to his abdominal region made it impossible to find any bullet.

    Juan VASQUEZ SILVA, 19, an unmarried worker. On September 17, [sic] a patrol came to the settlement where he was living in the General Cruz area. His mother says that the police accused the people there of intending to attack the checkpoint. Witnesses told his family that Vásquez was killed by the police. The Commission does not have enough material to come to a conviction on how he was killed.

    Sergio VERDUGO HERRERA, civil engineer, president of the Association of Employees of the Sociedad Constructora de Establecimientos Educacionales, and an active Christian Democrat. Security services investigated him in 1975 and 1976 because he had been accused of being a member of the Communist party. On Tuesday, July 20, 1976, he went to work as usual at the Sociedad Constructora de Establecimientos Educacionales. That afternoon he came back to his house which was empty, and apparently left in a hurry. Unverified accounts indicated that he was arrested. The next day his body was found on the bank of the Mapocho River. The autopsy report states that the cause of death was drowning. Having examined the very careful judicial investigation which could not confirm that Verdugo died of foul play, this Commission does not have evidence that would enable it to come to a conviction on the events that led to Verdugo's death and whether they involved foul play.

    Jaime Edison VILLAFRANCA VERA, a Patria y Libertad sympathizer. On July 25, 1976, a group of individuals burned a Chilean flag in the plaza in San Fernando. That night soldiers in plainclothes arrested Villafranca and a friend. This person says they were taken to the regiment. There the military questioned them about the flag burning, all the while beating them and applying electricity. Shortly afterward someone was heard moaning, and then two shots were heard. Despite the value of that account, this Commission has not been able to identify who the victim was, and hence could not come to a conviction on what happened.

    Luis Sijisfredo VILLANUEVA RAMIREZ. He died September 12, 1983, of bullet wounds sustained in an incident in the area of Rahue Alto, Osorno, the previous day. There is no information on who those responsible were, nor is there any evidence indicating that it was the result of political violence. Hence the Commission could not come to a conviction that Villanueva's human rights had been violated.

    Luis Alberto VILLEGAS MEZA, an enlisted man in the navy and MIR sympathizer. On October 1, 1975, he entered the military service. On October 8, a navy patrol told his mother that her son had deserted. She had no further information on him until October 1976, when she received a visit from agents who claimed to be from the DINA. They told her they had found him, and that he had committed suicide. In June 1990 she received information from an anonymous source indicating that he had been tortured along with the Communists in Fort Borgoño and had died as a result. This Commission has not been able to gather more evidence to confirm that report and hence has not come to a conviction on this case.


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Posted by USIP Library on: October 4 2002
Source: Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation
(Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1993), vol. II/II, Part Three, Chapter Five (A), 801-822.

Note: Digitized and posted by permission of the University of Notre Dame Press, February 22, 2000.

 


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