PART THREE
Chapter One (A.2)

September through December 1973 (continued)

1. HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS COMMITTED BY GOVERNMENT AGENTS OR PERSONS WORKING FOR THEM (continued)
   
   
   2. CASES (continued)
      
      
      1. Metropolitan Region (continued)
         
         
         2. Cases of grave human rights violations in the Metropolitan Region (continued)
            
            On October 1, Gilberto ESTAY ESTAY, 46, an employee of the Barros LucoTroudeau Hospital, and Julio Alberto MUÑOZ TORRES, 43, a plasterer, were executed, after police had arrested them at about 1:30 a.m. in their homes. Their dead bodies showed up at 3:00 a.m. on October 1 at the Departamental traffic circle, alongside the body of Carlos Donoso, whose case is described above. The investigative police who found the remains attested to the many bullet wounds and stated that it was the work of common criminals. A press account indicated that "three criminals had been shot down... investigative police experts calculated that they had been killed at around 3:00 a.m., that is, while the curfew was in effect." The news in another paper said that "three criminals had been killed as a result of personal feuds." Nevertheless, the Commission came to the conviction that like Donoso, these two men were executed without any due process of law by government agents. In doing so, it took into account that it is established that they had been previously arrested by police officials; that there are many eyewitness reports about how these prisoners were transferred from a police station to the Metropolitan Cemetery and how two were executed there; that the circumstances and causes of the deaths of the others suggest that the same agents were involved; that the alleged feud mentioned in the newspaper is unlikely, since these people were being held in custody; that the moment of death was very close to the moment these people were arrested; and that the immediate causes of the death of the victims suggest the participation of armed agents.
            
            On October 1, three youths
            
            Miguel Angel RIOS TRASLAVIÑA, 16, a student,
            
            Rogelio Gustavo RAMIREZ AMESTICA, 18, a student, and
            
            Marcos Orlando RIOS BUSTOS, 15, a student,
            
            were executed after being arrested by a military patrol in an establishment where they were playing fuzball.
            
            Neighbors saw these young people being taken out of that establishment to the street. Numerous eyewitness accounts say that the military beat them fiercely, forced them to run, and shot down two of them. The third continued to run until he came to the Iquique Bridge, where he was killed by another military patrol that was guarding that area. Even though this event took place very much in the open, and many people in the neighborhood observed it, no official explanation was given for what happened. Autopsies revealed numerous bullet wounds on the bodies: Rogelio Ramírez had twelve, Miguel Ríos Traslaviña had eighteen, and Marcos Ríos had three. Since the circumstances and cause of death as well as the previous detention of these people are well established, the Commission came to the conviction that Miguel Angel Ríos, Rogelio Gustavo Ramírez, and Marcos Orlando Ríos, all of them minors, were executed and that this execution constituted a grave human rights violation carried out by government agents.
            
            On October 2, 1973, the body of Luis Humberto MUÑOZ AGUAYO, 25, a shoe repairman, was found in the street. Police from the 22nd station picked up his body and sent it to the Medical Legal Institute. The death certificate states that the cause of death was a "perforating bullet wound to the abdomen." This Commission came to the conviction that Luis Humberto Muñoz died as a result of the political violence then present in the country.
            
            On October 2, 1973, Mauricio Segundo CAYUAN CANIUQUEO, 22, a worker, and Carlos Humberto GARRIDO OCAREZ, 19, a fruit and vegetable street vendor, were killed after being arrested in public that same day. Their families were told that these prisoners had been taken to the National Stadium, but there they were told there was no record of their arrest. Later their bullet ridden bodies appeared at the Medical Legal Institute. Carlos Garrido's death certificate states that the cause of his death was a "series of many perforating bullet wounds to the head, thorax, abdomen, and appendages." The time of death is given as October 2 at 11:30 p.m.. Cayuán's death certificate was similar. The Commission has come to the conviction that the deaths of Mauricio Segundo Cayuán Caniuqueo and Carlos Humberto Garrido Ocarez were human rights violations since it is established that they were arrested by government agents and the circumstances of their death indicate that armed agents were involved.
            
            On October 2, 1973, Nelson Jorge FLORES ZAPATA, 29, who worked at INDAP (National Institute for Agricultural Development) and was active in MAPU (United Popular Action Movement) and a community leader, was killed at his home in the Robert Kennedy shantytown after it was raided by combined army and police forces. According to the story as told by witnesses, after a brief interrogation by these agents, he was immediately taken out to the backyard of his property and was executed. His wife and two small children observed these events. His body remained there until a patrol came by and took it away. The autopsy report says that the cause of death was "bullet wound to the face and head." Considering the testimony received from eyewitnesses to this event and the direct cause of death, this Commission came to the conviction that Nelson Jorge Flores was executed by government agents, while he was in their custody, and that consequently he suffered a violation of human rights.
            
            On October 2, León Eduardo CELEDON LAVIN, 33, a lawyer, died at the José Joaquín Aguirre Hospital. According to testimony received, on September 30, 1973 while he and a friend were on a public bus, he was arrested by officials of SICAR (Police Intelligence Service), with whom he had previously had an argument. He was forced to get out of the vehicle on Calle Trieste, in the Recoleta area, and immediately was shot down by his captors. Having suffered many bullet wounds he was driven to the José Joaquín Aguirre Hospital, where his relatives found him. He died as a result of "bullet wounds to the torso with complications." Since his arrest, and the circumstances and cause of death are all attested, the Commission has come to the conviction that León Eduardo Celedón Lavín was executed without any due process of law by government agents in what constituted a human rights violation.
            
            On October 3, 1973, Sergio FUENTES SILVA, 44, a fruit and vegetable street vendor, was killed. Early in the month he left home in order to buy some goods and never returned. While trying to determine his whereabouts, his relatives went to the Medical Legal Institute where they learned of his death. Administrative authorities had already cremated the body. The autopsy report states that he died on October 3 of a "perforating bullet wound to the face and head." Although the specific circumstances that led to his death are unknown, this Commission, noting in particular its cause and date, has come to a conviction that Sergio Fuentes died as a result of the situation of political violence in the country at that time.
            
            On October 3, 1973, Hugo Manuel ROJAS CORTES, 38, an employee at the Luchetti company, was killed. He was arrested in a raid of the company on September 13, 1973 and taken to the Chile Stadium. He died at 6:00 p.m. on October 3, 1973, and the death certificate states that the cause of death was "bronchial pneumonia to the right lung." The family was told that he had died of this cause and that the body was already buried in Lot 29 of the General Cemetery. The autopsy, however, indicates that he was repeatedly tortured, since the body showed signs of mistreatment. The family had the body exhumed in order to identify the victim, and in fact determined that it was the body of Rojas. By reason of the evidence it has in hand, the fact that Rojas was arrested and died in custody, that his autopsy report notes signs of torture and that the body was not handed over to his relatives but ordered to be buried instead, the Commission came to the conviction that the government agents who had him in custody were responsible for the death of Hugo Rojas, since their treatment of him either caused his death directly or contributed to causing it, and that all of this constituted a human rights violation.
            
            On October 3, 1973, two brothers, Juan Enrique RODRIGUEZ AQUEVEQUE, 20, a shoe repair shop employee, and Florentino Aurelio RODRIGUEZ AQUEVEQUE, 17, a shoe repairman, were arrested by troops. The arrest took place in the home of one of them during a family feud while curfew was in effect. Some days later the family found Juan Enrique's body at the Medical Legal Institute. According to the death certificate, he died on October 3, 1973. The Commission was also able to obtain the autopsy report of another person found in the same spot who was not then identified; the characteristics of the body indicate that it is presumably that of Florentino Aurelio who has remained disappeared. There were many bullet wounds in both bodies. In view of the established fact that they were arrested, and keeping in mind the circumstances and cause of death of one of these brothers as well as the information gathered from the autopsy reports, this Commission has come to the conviction that Juan Enrique and Florentino Aurelio Rodríguez Aqueveque died as a result of human rights violations for which government agents were responsible; it is established that one was executed, and the same is very probably the case with the other.
            
            On October 3, 1973, Gustavo CANTUARIAS GRANDON, 45, army colonel and former director of the Los Andes Mountain Training School, died while under arrest at the Military Academy. The evidence gathered by this Commission, especially that provided by human rights agencies, indicates that in the period after September 11, Gustavo Canturarias was transferred under arrest to the Military Academy. The official accounts state that there he committed suicide. His death certificate says he died of a bullet wound to the mouth and head. Gustavo Cantuarias had close family ties with high ranking people in the Popular Unity government, one of whom he released from arrest at the Military Academy. In view of these antecedents and keeping in mind that the suicide took place inside the Military Academy, where he had been taken after September 11, this Commission believes this was the suicide of a person who was being subjected to so much pressure by government agents that such a decision offered an avenue of escape.
            
            From October 3-8 five people were arrested in the sectors of Pudahuel and Quinta Normal and were all taken to the cultural center in Pudahuel (Barrancas). These arrests were the result of raids in the various poor and working class neighborhoods being conducted by military stationed in these districts. According to their death certificates, these five prisoners were found dead in the streets between October 4-9, 1973. In all five cases the cause of death is listed as "multiple bullet wounds to the torso, abdomen, neck, and head." Their names are:
            
            Rafael Antonio MADRID GALVEZ, 23, a university student, active Socialist, and leader at the State Technical University. A military patrol arrested him and a friend at the house of an aunt and uncle in the Quinta Normal district. Both were subsequently transferred to the Twelfth station and from there to the cultural center in Pudahuel (Barrancas). There they were interrogated and then in the early morning of October 4, they were taken to the highway near the Lo Prado Tunnel. Testimony received indicates that here they were forced to run so as to simulate an escape attempt. Both were shot and wounded. Policemen arriving on the scene found that Rafael Madrid was dead; they took the other man, who was very seriously wounded, to Emergency Clinic No. 3.
            
            Exequiel Segundo CONTRERAS CARRASCO, 22, a janitor who was an active Socialist and a member of the president's security guard. He was arrested by a military patrol in a selective search operation on October 4 in the Pudahuel shantytown, and was taken to the cultural center along with four other people. On the morning of October 4, his dead body was found on the road to the airport near San Pablo. His credentials as a guard for President Allende were found on his body.
            
            Carlos Leonardo IBARRA ECHEVERRIA, 21, an education student at the university who was an active Socialist and a student leader at the Pedagogical Institute. On October 5, he was arrested by soldiers at his home during a search operation in the Manuel Larraín shantytown in the Pudahuel district. He was also taken to the cultural center in Pudahuel. According to the death certificate, he was killed on October 8, 1973, in Pudahuel-Santiago at 11:00 p.m. When his relatives inquired about him at the cultural center on October 9, they were told that he had been transferred to the National Stadium, even though he had been executed the previous day.
            
            José Elías QUEZADA NUÑEZ, 28, driver's assistant who was an active Socialist and a member of the Council on Supplies and Prices in the shantytown. On October 8, 1973, troops arrested him in the Manuel Larraín shantytown and transferred him to the cultural center in Pudahuel. According to the death certificate, he was killed on a public thoroughfare at 7:30 a.m. on October 9. On that day when his relatives made inquiries at the cultural center, they were told that he had been transferred to the National Stadium, at a moment when, as in the previous case, the execution had already taken place.
            
            Alberto Toribio SOTO VALDES, 20, a MIR activist. On October 8 he was arrested by troops in the Manuel Larraín shantytown together with José Quezada and both were taken to the cultural center in Pudahuel. According to his death certificate, he was killed on a public thoroughfare at 7:30 a.m. in a way that was similar to the previous case. That same day at the cultural center his relatives were told that he had been transferred to the National Stadium, even though he was already dead.
            
            Considering the many credible testimonies received, and especially since it has been established that these people were arrested and killed; the circumstances and causes of their deaths make it reasonable to think it was the work of government agents; these people were political activists and community or student leaders; there are similar episodes involving the agents who arrested them; and the stories offered by the military to relatives when they inquired about what had happened to these men are contradictory, this Commission has come to the conviction that Rafael Antonio Madrid, Exequiel Segundo Contreras, Carlos Leonardo Ibarra, José Quezada Núñez and Alberto Soto Valdés were executed and that they suffered grave human rights violations at the hands of government agents.
            
            On October 4, Isaías Rodolfo CANALES VENEGAS, 23, an office worker at the Mademsa company and an active Socialist, was killed. His family last saw him in early October, 1973, when he told them that he was being followed. Some time later his body was found at the Medical Legal Institute. The cause of death was bullet wounds, and it had taken place on October 4. The body had been sent from the José Joaquín Aguirre Hospital. While his family was seeking to determine his whereabouts, civilians came to search his house on three occasions. The Commission came to the conviction that Isaías Canales was killed as the result of a grave human rights violation and that government agents were involved in his death. The grounds for that conviction are the kind of political activist he was, the circumstances of his death, and the fact that government agents were looking for him.
            
            On October 4, Edmundo Alejandro MAUREIRA MIRANDA, 26, a tailor, was arrested at his house by police from the Eleventh station in Maipú. The next day his bullet ridden body was found at the corner of Camino Lo Errázuriz and Cinco de Abril. The body was taken to the Medical Legal Institute, but the family only learned what had happened to him after he was already buried in Lot 29 of the General Cemetery. The Commission has come to the conviction that Edmundo Alejandro Maureira suffered a grave human rights violation, and that there are very serious reasons for presuming that government agents were involved in his death.
            
            On October 5 the following people were arrested in the José María Caro shantytown during a search operation carried out by the military:
            
            Manuel Fernando CANTO GUTIERREZ, 18, a merchant;
            
            Sergio Fernando FERNANDEZ PAVEZ, 18, a loader at the central fruit and vegetable market;
            
            Luis Eduardo ROJAS GERALDO, 21, a driver's assistant;
            
            Miguel Angel SANTIBAÑEZ DURAN, 19, a merchant.
            
            Many people were arrested in that raid and were sent to the 21st police station. All were later released except for the four listed. There has been no further word on the whereabouts of two of them. At the Medical Legal Institute family members of the other two, Rojas and Santibáñez were told that the victims were buried in Lot 29 of the General Cemetery and that they had died of bullet wounds. Since it is established that they were arrested, and taking into account the causes of the deaths of two of them, the Commission has come to the conviction that Manuel Fernando Canto Gutiérrez and Sergio Fernando Fernández Pavez disappeared at the hands of government agents, while Luis Eduardo Rojas Geraldo and Miguel Angel Santibáñez Durán were executed by the same kind of agents, and that the human rights of all four were gravely violated.
            
            On October 5, Jorge Ernesto CARRION CASTRO, 22, a municipal public works department worker who was a shantytown leader and MIR activist, was arrested during a raid of his house by troops from the Puente Alto Regiment. According to a number of eyewitness reports, a military operation which took place in the Casas Viejas sector of the Vista Hermosa and 12 de Mayo shantytowns lead to the arrest of some sixty people. At military offices the family was told that he had been arrested and sent to the National Stadium. There, however, his arrest was not acknowledged, and his name did not appear on the official prisoner lists. According to credible testimony, Carrión was executed that same day, October 5, during the night. However, there is no record of his death, and his body was not found. Since there is reliable testimony to his arrest and since there is no evidence establishing beyond any doubt that he is dead, this Commission believes that there are enough elements to come to the conviction that Jorge Ernesto Carrión suffered a grave human rights violation and that government agents, and specifically those who arrested him, are responsible for his disappearance.
            
            On October 5, 1973, Fernando de la Cruz OLIVARES MORI, 27, was arrested by troops at CELADE (Latin American Center for Demography), a UN (United Nations) agency, where he worked in administration. Witnesses state that he was taken to the Ministry of Defense. There his relatives were told that he was to be transferred to the National Stadium, but at the stadium it was never acknowledged that he was being held. Despite numerous efforts to find him made by his family and his colleagues at work, they never found any true information on his whereabouts. The Commission has come to the conviction that the disappearance of Fernando Olivares Mori was a human rights violation for which government agents were responsible, since it is sufficiently attested that he was put under arrest and that since that time there has been no further word on his whereabouts or his fate.
            
            On October 5, 1973, Héctor Andrés QUEGLAS MATURANA, 23, a furniture maker, was killed the day after he and a friend had been arrested in his home by police. The next day the relatives heard from the police in San Gregorio that these prisoners were going to be released. His wife looked for him unsuccessfully until November, when she found his name on the lists at the Medical Legal Institute, where he was said to have died of bullet wounds. The name of the person arrested with him was also listed as having died of the same kind of wound. His death certificate put the date of death as the same day he was arrested. The Commission came to the conviction that Héctor Andrés Queglas suffered a grave human rights violation. The basis for that claim is that the fact of his arrest and the cause and circumstances of his death are all established.
            
            On October 5, 1973, Luis Eduardo MORALES MUÑOZ, 27, was executed. At approximately 10:00 p.m. on October 4, he was arrested by police in the presence of witnesses at his home in the San Ramón shantytown and driven away in a pickup truck that the police were using. On October 5 his body was sent to the Medical Legal Institute, with a note stating that he had been found on the corner of Departamental and Santa Rosa. The cause of death as indicated on his death certificate was two bullet wounds to the thorax with complications. His family was not given this information until November 1973. The Commission came to the conviction that Luis Morales was executed by government agents and that his human rights were thereby violated. The grounds for that conviction are that eyewitnesses attest to the fact of his arrest; he died the day after being picked up and while still under arrest; he died of bullet wounds and his body was found on a public thoroughfare and sent to the Medical Legal Institute.
            
            On October 5, 1973, Oscar Jesús DELGADO MARIN, 30, a member of the presidential security guard and an active Socialist, was executed in the National Stadium. His family last saw him at home on September 18. They later began to look for him until they learned that he had been killed at the National Stadium on October 5, due to a "bullet wound to the shoulders and thorax with complications," according to his death certificate, which expressly notes that his death occurred at the stadium. His body was buried in Lot 29 at the General Cemetery in Santiago on October 22. In view of the evidence gathered, the Commission has come to the conviction that Oscar Jesús Delgado was executed by government agents at the site where they were holding him prisoner, thereby violating his human rights.
            
            On October 5, 1973, Dagoberto YAÑEZ YAÑEZ, 25, was killed. His body was found on the northern bank of the Mapocho River at the Bulnes Bridge, and taken by police from the Juan Antonio Ríos police headquarters to the Medical Legal Institute. The body bore numerous bullet wounds and the date of death was certified to be October 5. The Commission has come to the conviction that Dagoberto Yañez Yañez died as a result of the political violence at that time, and that it is reasonable to think that it was the work of government agents.
            
            On October 5, Vicente del Carmen VIDAL PAREDES, 25, was killed after being arrested at his house in the Anibal Pinto shantytown in the San Miguel district. After the arrest he was transferred to the police unit in the Sumar shantytown. Some hours later he was found dead in the La Aguada alleyway with "bullet wounds to the torso and head." The autopsy report notes that the bullets were "of different calibers." The Commission came to the conviction that Vicente Vidal Paredes was executed without any due process of law and suffered a grave human rights violation at the hands of government agents, presumably those who arrested him.
            
            On October 6, at about 9:00 p.m. Eduardo Emilio TORO VELEZ, 42, a traveling salesman who was active in the Radical party, disappeared. According to eyewitness accounts, he left his apartment intending to go to the Plaza Italia area. They further state that he was stopped by a military patrol which was carrying out an operation in the neighborhood. He has not appeared since that moment, and his family has had no word about his whereabouts or his fate. Since credible testimony establishes that he was arrested by armed forces personnel, and since there is no information about his arrest, this Commission has come to the conviction that Eduardo Toro Vélez disappeared and was thus a victim of a human rights violation at the hands of government agents.
            
            On October 6, 1973, five young men attempted to seek asylum in the Embassy of Argentina. Four of them were:
            
            Eduardo Santos QUINTEROS MIRANDA, 19, a high school student who was active in the Young Communists;
            
            Abelardo Jesús QUINTEROS MIRANDA, 21, who was learning to be a tailor and active in the Young Communists;
            
            Raúl Buridán SAN MARTIN BARRERA, 19, a worker who was active in the Young Communists; and
            
            Celedonio SEPULVEDA LABRA, 25, a worker who was also active in the Young Communists.
            
            The fifth person managed to survive these events.
            
            On October 6, 1973, they went to the San Borja Hospital intending to enter the Argentinian embassy by climbing a wall that at that time marked the boundary between the hospital and the embassy. When they entered the inner courtyard of the hospital, witnesses observed them being ambushed by members of the investigative police who were dressed like hospital personnel and were inside ambulances parked in front of the wall leading to the embassy. Eduardo Santos Quinteros Miranda was killed by perforating bullet wounds to the abdomen. The other members of the group were unsuccessful and were arrested in the presence of a number of witnesses. They have remained disappeared since that moment. The last word about Celedonio Sepúlveda is that he was admitted to the San Borja Hospital on October 8.
            
            Bearing in mind that each of these people was active in the Young Communists, and that one of them died as a result of bullet wounds inflicted by police, and that there has been no further word concerning the others who were arrested, this Commission has come to the conviction that Abelardo Jesús Quinteros Miranda, Raúl San Martín Becerra, and Celedonio Sepúlveda Labra have disappeared at the hands of government agents and that Eduardo Quinteros Miranda was executed by those same agents, and that these all constitute a human rights violation.
            
            On October 6, 1973, Jaime Benjamín VIDELA OVALLE, 28, an office worker who was active in the National party, disappeared. He and other people were arrested that day by police in the Vicuña Mackenna area. According to eyewitness accounts, he was taken to the police chorus rehearsal room and from there to the Fourth station. That night he was taken out to an unknown destination, and there has been no further word about him. Since his arrest and detention in two police installations are attested, this Commission has come to the conviction that the arrest and subsequent forced disappearance of Jaime Benjamín Videla constituted a grave violation of human rights for which government agents were responsible.
            
            On October 7, Luis Alberto SANCHEZ MEJIAS, 21, a bartender, was killed after being arrested during a police raid in the San Gregorio shantytown. He was transferred to the La Granja police station. From that point all traces of him were lost until his relatives found his body at the Medical Legal Institute. The death certificate states that he died of bullet wounds to the head October 7, 1973 on a public thoroughfare. Since it is established that he was arrested and bearing in mind the cause and circumstances of his death, this Commission has come to the conviction that Luis Alberto Sanchez Mejías was executed and suffered a human rights violation at the hands of government agents.
            
            On October 7, 1973, Manuel Antonio VALENCIA NORAMBUENA, 39, a street vendor, was killed after being arrested the previous day at his home by police stationed in San Gregorio. He was taken by his captors to an unknown destination. The next day his relatives talked with officials who denied that he had been arrested. After much searching in vain, the family located his body at the Medical Legal Institute, and learned that he had died of bullet wounds. The death certificate registers the date of death as October 7. Since it is sufficiently established that he was arrested, and taking into account the circumstances and cause of death, the Commission has come to the conviction that Manuel Antonio Valencia suffered a human rights violation at the hands of government agents.
            
            On October 7, Francisco SAEZ VALENZUELA, a merchant and active Socialist, was killed by police at the home of one of his brothers and in the presence of witnesses. Eyewitness accounts state that the police put him into a truck and shot him. He was taken to the emergency clinic and died there that same day as a result of the bullet wound. Since his arrest by police and the circumstances and cause of death are attested, the Commission has come to the conviction that Francisco Sáez was executed and hence suffered a grave human rights violation at the hands of government agents.
            
            On October 7, 1973, Jorge Segundo PEREZ UBEDA, 22, a worker, was killed. At 9:00 a.m. he left his home in the La Legua shantytown and was heading toward the athletic field when, according to witnesses, he was arrested by police, presumably from the Twelfth station. The next day his dead body was found in that shantytown at the corner of Calle Pedro de Valdivia and Camino Agrícola. He had four bullet wounds, and the cause of death was "bullet wounds to the head and abdomen." Bearing in mind these facts, and particularly the established fact of his arrest and the circumstances and conditions in which his body was found, this Commission has come to the conviction that Jorge Pérez Ubeda was executed by government agents in violation of his human rights.
            
            On October 7, 1973, Luis Enrique OTTS FLORES, 28, was executed. He was arrested that day in the San Gregorio shantytown during a search operation conducted by soldiers and police and then taken to the police station in San Gregorio. Testimony received indicates that at that police station a group of seventeen persons was set apart and then taken by night to the corner of Camino Agrícola and Macul. All the prisoners were executed at that point, and their bodies were left in different sites. One of the prisoners survived and told relatives what had happened. The body of Otts Flores was found on the road to Lo Espejo alongside three other bodies. The death certificate states that the cause of death was a "bullet wound to the head." The time of death is said to be 11:00 p.m. on the day he was arrested. Since reliable witnesses attest that he was arrested and taking into account the cause and circumstances of the death of Luis Enrique Otts, the Commission has come to the conviction that he was executed and suffered a violation of his human rights at the hands of government agents.
            
            On October 7, 1973, Jorge Hernán ESPINOZA FARIAS, 19, disappeared from the San Gregorio shantytown. According to witnesses, he was arrested along with his brothers and his father by police stationed at San Gregorio together with soldiers. The troops conducted a search operation in the shantytown and arrested many of the males. All the prisoners were first held at athletic field No. 3 and then were taken to the police station. Since that day their relatives have had no further word about them.
            
            After the arrest, the family received the eyewitness account of a young man who had been with Espinoza at the police station. He said, "The day after the October 7 raid, the police led a group of young people to believe that they were releasing them. They made them run and shot them from behind. They put them onto a vehicle thinking they were all dead, and went to throw them in the San Carlos canal." Of all the people who had been shot, this young man and Espinoza were still alive. According to this survivor he was able to crawl up out of the canal, and received care at a nearby parish, but Espinoza could not because he was exhausted and wounded in the shoulder. In view of the information it has examined, this Commission has been able to come to the conviction that Jorge Espinoza has been disappeared since his arrest and suffered a human rights violation that can reasonably be attributed to government agents.
            
            On October 8, 1973, Zacarías Enrique PARDO GONZALEZ, 25, a street vendor, was killed. He was arrested at his house in the San Miguel district by government troops at around 3:00 a.m. on October 3. Those who arrested Pardo accused him of hiding weapons. Along with another person arrested at the same time, he was then taken to a destination unknown to his relatives. Some time later, his relatives learned that his body was found floating in the Mapocho River, near the Bulnes Bridge, and was pulled out by police from the Juan Antonio Ríos headquarters. According to the autopsy report, the body had bullet wounds to the abdomen and the face, and the latter were the cause of death. The time of death was said to be 6:30 a.m. on October 8. The investigative police, however, said that the death presumably occurred at midnight on October 7. Since it is established that he was arrested, and taking into account the circumstances and cause of death noted here, the Commission has come to the conviction that Zacarías Pardo was executed by government agents in violation of his human rights.
            
            On October 8, 1973, Víctor Fernando RAMIREZ ORTIZ, 19, was killed. His body appeared on the north bank of the Mapocho River, near the Purísima Bridge. Police from the First station transferred it to the Medical Legal Institute. According to his death certificate, he died of bullet wounds to the abdominal thorax. Testimony received indicates that he left his house in San Gregorio at about 9:00 a.m. on October 7, just as soldiers and police were carrying out a search operation. According to those same eyewitness reports, many people from the shantytown were arrested, especially criminals and people who did not have their identification papers. Ramírez was among those arrested. Due to the information here presented and the causes and circumstances of his death, this Commission has come to the conviction that Víctor Ramírez was executed and that he suffered a human rights violation at the hands of government agents.
            
            On October 8, 1973, Ernesto Antonio YEVENES APABLAZA, a worker, was arrested. At 10:00 p.m. the previous day, he had left his mother's funeral wake, but had not returned home. On October 29, his relatives obtained a death certificate according to which he had died at 6:00 a.m. on October 8, 1973 and had been buried at the General Cemetery. The relatives went to the cemetery and received documentation indicating that he was buried in Lot 29. They have never been permitted to examine the body. According to the autopsy report, he died of penetrating wounds to the face, skull and neck and thoracic regions, possibly due to a burst of gunfire, and his body had been found in the vicinity of the Metropolitan Cemetery. Keeping in mind that he was killed during curfew, as well as the cause of death and the place his body was found, this Commission has come to the conviction that Ernesto Yévenes Apablaza died as a result of the political violence in the country at that time.
            
            On October 8, 1973, Héctor Juan MALVINO CAMPOS, 26, showed up dead along the General San Martín highway, near the road to Portezuelo. His body had 32 bullet wounds. At that time the newspaper indicated that according to information provided by the investigative police, his death resulted from a dispute between common criminals. This Commission has come to the conviction that Héctor Malvino Campos was executed by government agents, in violation of his human rights, since there is no evidence to lead this Commission to think that the death took place in combat, and since the large number of bullet wounds in the body, the political circumstances at that time, and the fact that he was killed at 3 a.m. when the curfew was in effect, make it difficult to entertain the possibility that his death was the work of civilians.
            
            On October 8, 1973, Samuel Eduardo MATURANA VALDERRAMA, 21, an office worker who was active in the Socialist party, was arrested by unidentified people in civilian dress at his home in the presence of witnesses and during curfew. They asked for Samuel Maturana and after arresting him, they took him away in their unlicensed vehicle. To this day there has been no word concerning his whereabouts. This Commission has come to the conviction that the arrest and subsequent disappearance of Samuel Eduardo Maturana Valderrama constituted a human rights violation carried out for political reasons, presumably by government agents. The basis for this conviction is the political activity of the victim and the fact that those who apprehended him were driving about in an unlicensed vehicle during the curfew period in October 1973.
            
            On October 9, 1973, Víctor Segundo BENITEZ ORTEGA was killed. Police from the Vicuña Mackenna substation sent his body to the Medical Legal Institute, indicating that it had been found in the La Florida area. The cause of death was "multiple bullet wounds." Not knowing the precise circumstances in which Víctor Benítez died, the Commission came to the conclusion that he was a victim of the political violence of that period.
            
            

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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. I/II, Part Three, Chapter One (A.2.a.2), 201-213.
Note: Digitized and posted by permission of the University of Notre Dame Press, February 22, 2000.