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 10, 1973, Nelson Mario TORRES GONZALEZ was killed. His body was sent to the Medical Legal Institute by the military prosecutor's office, with the observation that it had been found in Renca. The cause of death was five bullet wounds to the head, abdomen, and thorax. Unaware of the exact circumstances in which he was killed, the Commission has come to the conclusion that Nelson Torres was a victim of the political violence at that time.
            
            On October 10, 1973, Víctor Moisés CASTILLO ALEGRIA, 27, a student and watch repairer, was executed. He was arrested at his home after midnight on the night of October 9 by police from the Renca station. His relatives' efforts to locate him were in vain since all the places they checked denied that they were holding him prisoner, until they learned that he was dead at the Medical Legal Institute. The death certificate says he died at 6:30 a.m. on October 10, as a result of bullet wounds to the head, chest and abdomen. Keeping in mind the circumstances of the arrest, the cause of death, and the fact that it took place a few hours after his arrest, this Commission has come to the conviction that Víctor Moisés Castillo was executed by government agents and that such an action was a human rights violation.
            
            On October 10, 1973, the body of José Sergio ALEGRIA HIGUERA, a 22 year old worker, was found in the Mapocho River. According to information on the death certificate, he was killed along the Mapocho River at 11:00 a.m. October 10. The autopsy report says the cause of death was a series of bullet wounds to the abdomen and thorax with complications. In view of the place and cause of death and the conditions at that time, the Commission has come to the conviction that the death of José Sergio Alegria can only have been the work of government agents who executed him, and that such an action constituted a human rights violation.
            
            On October 10, 1973, Francisco MIRANDA MIRANDA, 22, disappeared. Eyewitnesses saw police arrest him that day on the street during a search operation conducted in the Illanes de Renca shantytown. He was then taken to the local police station. Since that time there has been no word concerning his whereabouts. Since it is established that he was arrested and has remained disappeared since that date, this Commission has come to the conviction that Francisco Miranda was arrested and that he disappeared at the hands of government agents, and that thus his human rights were violated.
            
            On October 11, 1973, Luis Alberto MARTINEZ HORMAZABAL, 19, an office worker, was killed. After making many efforts to locate him, his wife found his body buried in a common grave in the General Cemetery. The death certificate says he died of a "perforating bullet wound to the thorax." He died at the Central Emergency Clinic on October 11, 1973, according to that certificate. Taking into account the cause of death and credible testimony it has received, this Commission has been able to establish that Luis Alberto Martínez suffered a human rights violation as a result of the political violence during that period, and that it can reasonably be presumed that those responsible were government agents.
            
            On October 11, 1973, Carlos Helen SALAZAR CONTRERAS, 46, a lawyer and professor at the law school of the University of Chile who was a Socialist party activist and personal friend of President Salvador Allende, died. He was arrested on October 5, 1973 at home with eyewitnesses present. Those arresting him said they were agents from the investigative police. Inquiries carried out by his family established that Carlos Salazar had been taken to the National Stadium that same day. For ten days a policeman kept telling them that he was in good condition. According to witnesses, on October 11, 1973, Salazar urged his prison companions to spend "a minute in silence to mark the one month observance of the death of Allende." He died in the stadium that very day. The cause of death was "strangulation by hanging." According to the official version provided by the Undersecretariat of the Interior at that time, Carlos Salazar committed suicide. The Commission has come to the conviction that he committed suicide because he could no longer endure what he was undergoing, and in view of the conditions under which he was imprisoned, his human rights were violated.
            
            On October 11, 1973, Julio César FERNANDEZ FERNANDEZ, a Uruguayan, 24, an artisan who had ties to the Tupamaro Movement and had entered the country in August 1972, disappeared. He and the woman with whom he lived were arrested that day by government agents. Witnesses have said they saw him in the Tejas Verdes prison camp in San Antonio in October and November 1973. Since then there has been no further word about him. This Commission has come to the conviction that Julio César Fernández was arrested by government agents and that while acting as such they caused him to disappear thus gravely violating human rights. The grounds for this conviction are the testimony it has received, the fact that there has been no further word about him, and that there is no record of his leaving the country.
            
            On October 11, 1973, Raúl Fernando SANTIS URRIOLA, 26, a mechanic who was active in the Socialist Party, was killed. Six days previously he was arrested in the street by police and taken to the police station at the corner of San Francisco and Condor. During curfew time he was taken away by police and army troops and driven with other prisoners to the banks of the Mapocho River near the Pio Nono Bridge. There they were told to run and were immediately shot down. Raúl Santis was still alive and managed to send word to his relatives, who came looking for him. They took him to the José Joaquín Hospital where the bullets were removed. Then they took him home. While he was at home, his condition worsened, and he was rushed to the Melej Clinic. He died there on October 11, 1973 as a result of the bullet wounds and of pneumonia. Having established these facts, this Commission has come to the conviction that Raúl Santis died as a result of an attempt by government agents to execute him, and that this was a grave human rights violation.
            
            On October 11, 1973, Joaquín Segundo MONTECINOS ROJAS, 44, furniture maker, was killed. According to the account given by his relatives, he had been arrested that day in a police raid on the San Ramon shantytown. They later found his body at the Medical Legal Institute and were told that he had died of bullet wounds, as is noted on his death certificate. He had already been buried in Lot 29 of the General Cemetery. Taking into account the situation in the country at that time and the cause of death, and also keeping in mind that it has not been able to reliably establish that he had been arrested previously, the Commission came to the conviction that he died as a result of the political violence in the country at that time.
            
            On October 12, 1973, Eduardo Elías CERDA ANGEL, 8, was killed. That day he was together with his family at his house, which is located in the Quinta Normal district. When they heard shots near the house, Eduardo Elías opened the door and was hit by a bullet in the chest; that same bullet also wounded a sister. His older brother picked up his body and ran out into the street, following the military patrol that had done the shooting. He managed to have his younger brother driven to the emergency room at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in the car the troops were driving, but the boy was dead upon arrival. According to the death certificate he died at 10:30 p.m. on October 12, 1973, as the result of a bullet wound in the thorax. Bearing in mind what witnesses have said, and having attested that he was killed, this Commission has come to the conviction that Eduardo Cerda Angel died as the result of an indiscriminate use of force by government agents who violated his right to life.
            
            On October 12, 1973, Oscar Roberto LUCERO ALDANA, 23, a married painter and worker, was arrested by police at his home. His dead body was found at kilometer 18 of the General San Martín highway. The cause of death was perforating bullet wounds to the head, and the date was October 12. The Commission came to the conviction that Oscar Lucero was executed by government agents, and that this was a case of grave human rights violation.
            
            On October 12, 1973, Francisco Arnaldo ZUÑIGA AGUILERA, 22, an office worker, disappeared. That day he left his job at 9:30 p.m. Curfew began at 10:00 p.m. He failed to reach home that night. Witnesses have stated that the next day a policeman who knew Zúñiga's boss went to his workplace. According to testimony given, that policeman said that Francisco Zúniga was under arrest at the Third police station and he had asked that a fellow worker take him clean clothes. There has been no further word concerning him since then. His family's efforts to find him there and elsewhere proved in vain. There is no record of Francisco Zúñiga renewing his identification card, registering to vote, or leaving the country, nor is there any death certificate. Since it is established that Francisco Zúñiga disappeared, and in view of these facts, this Commission has come to the conviction that his disappearance constituted a human rights violation for which government agents were responsible.
            
            On October 12, 1973, Waldemar Segundo MONSALVEZ TOLEDO, 26, a Politec factory employee who was a MIR activist and a leader in the Nueva La Habana shantytown, disappeared. That day a police patrol from the Thirteenth station arrested him at his job. Since then there has been no further word about him, and in view of his established arrest, his political activism, his role as a shantytown leader, and his disappearance without further word, this Commission has come to the conviction that Waldemar Monsalvez was arrested and then made to disappear by government agents, thereby violating his human rights.
            
            On October 12, 1973, Teobaldo René SALAZAR LEAL, 50, an official at the University of Chile who was a neighborhood leader and active in the Communist party, was killed. On October 10, he had been arrested by police at his house on Calle Vía Láctea in the Macul district. His body was found at kilometer 18 of the General San Martín highway and was sent to the Medical Legal Institute by the military prosecutor's office. He was buried without the knowledge of his relatives. According to the death certificate, he died at 6 a.m. on October 12 of bullet wounds to the head, abdomen and chest. In view of the circumstances of his arrest, the cause and time of his death, and the fact that his body was found along a public thoroughfare, this Commission came to the conviction that Teobaldo René Salazar was executed by government agents and that his human rights were thereby violated.
            
            On October 13, 1973, Floridor de Jesús FLORES CAROCA, a worker at FENSA [National Electronics Manufacturer, Inc.], was executed. That day his house was raided by troops of the Chilean Air Force, and he was arrested. His body appeared that same day, October 13, at the corner of Suárez Mujica and Covarrubias. The autopsy report states that he died as a result of perforating bullet wounds to the abdomen and thorax and to the face and head. The Commission has come to the conviction that Floridor de Jesús Flores was executed by government agents, in what constituted a grave human rights violation. This conviction is particularly supported by the circumstances of his arrest and the fact that his body, dead from bullet wounds, appeared on the very day he was arrested.
            
            On October 13, 1973, Carlos Patricio FARIÑA OYARCE, 13, a student who was politically uninvolved, disappeared. That day he was arrested in the presence of witnesses during a raid on the La Pincoya shantytown which was being conducted by members of the army, police and investigative police. Another youth was also arrested at this same time and later was found dead from bullet wounds. Fariña was taken from his house to the local soccer field. His relatives say that they learned that the youth was taken to Infantry Regiment No. 3, which was then quartered in Quinta Normal. The family made countless efforts to locate him, but since that day, October 13, 1973, there has been no further word on his whereabouts. Particularly since it is established that he was arrested and that another youth arrested with him was executed, this Commission has come to the conviction that the arrest and subsequent disappearance of Carlos Patricio Fariña was the work of government agents, and that it constituted a grave human rights violation.
            
            On October 13, 1973, Héctor Eugenio ARAYA GARRIDO, 18, a plumber, was executed. That day he was arrested along with Carlos Patricio Fariña by army troops of the Yungay Regiment, who were carrying out an operation in the La Pincoya No. 1 shantytown. According to testimony taken by this Commission, he was held on the grounds at Quinta Normal where those troops were stationed. On October 14, his body with numerous bullet wounds to the head and thorax was found at the Medical Legal Institute. To this day his body has not been turned over to his relatives. According to his death certificate, he was killed October 13, 1973. The autopsy report states that the cause of death was multiple bullet wounds to the head and thorax. This Commission has come to the conviction that Hector Eugenio Araya Garrido was executed by government agents who sought to kill him and thereby committed a human rights violation, since it is established that he was arrested and later died, for the reasons already given.
            
            On October 13, 1973, Víctor Iván VIDAL TEJEDA, 16, a high school student, was killed. Troops arrested him and took him to the La Pincoya shantytown, and later presumably to where they were stationed at Quinta Normal. His mother went there but her efforts to find him were in vain. Two months later his mother found a file with information on her son at the Medical Legal Institute. He had been transferred there at 1:00 a.m. on October 14. The body was buried on Lot 29 of the General Cemetery. The autopsy report states that he died of the multiple bullet wounds he sustained. The body was found in the street at 10:30 p.m. on the day he was arrested. Having established that he was arrested and taking into account the cause and date of his death on the same date as his arrest, the Commission came to the conviction that Víctor Vidal was a victim of human rights violation at the hands of government agents.
            
            In the early morning of October 14, 1973, eight people were executed by police. They were:
            
            Alfredo Andrés MORENO MENA, 23, a worker;
            
            Luis Miguel RODRIGUES ARANCIBIA, 23, a fruit and vegetable street vendor;
            
            Luis Alberto VERDEJO CONTRERAS, 26, a merchant;
            
            Elizabeth LEONIDAS CONTRERAS, a 14 year old student who was pregnant;
            
            Jaime Max BASTIAS MARTINEZ, 17, a worker;
            
            Luis SUAZO SUAZO, 20, an automobile painter;
            
            Domingo de la Cruz MORALES DIAZ, 20, an electrician; and
            
            Luis TORO.
            
            On the afternoon of October 13, 1973, a police patrol arrived at Los Sauces de Puente Alto recreation park and in the presence of witnesses proceeded to arrest the people listed. They were taken to police station No. 20 in Puente Alto and from there were driven to the Fourth station in Santiago. Very early on October 14, they were put into a jeep and taken to the banks of the Mapocho River at the Bulnes Bridge. In the presence of witnesses they were forced out of the vehicle. They were told to start running and were immediately shot down. Their relatives later found the bodies at the Medical Legal Institute. The autopsy reports indicate that the bodies were found in the Mapocho River near the Bulnes Bridge, and that they had been shot to death. Since the arrest, and the place, date and cause of their death is attested, this Commission has come to the conviction that Alfredo Moreno, Luis Miguel Rodríguez, Luis Alberto Verdejo, Elizabeth Leonidas, Jaime Max Bastías, Luis Suazo and Luis Toro were executed by government agents and that this action constituted a grave human rights violation.
            
            On October 14, 1973, Hernán Antonio MUÑOZ ROJAS was killed. He had been arrested three days previously at home by police from the Curacaví headquarters. Since that moment there were no traces of him until October 14 when his dead body was found on the Esperanza Bridge in the Padre Hurtado neighborhood. The body had a bullet wound to the thorax and abdomen. This Commission has come to the conviction that Hernán Antonio Rojas was executed by government agents since it is established that he was arrested and subsequently met a violent death during the curfew period. This act was a crime against his right to life.
            
            On October 14, 1973, Segundo del Carmen LIRA BRAVO, 28, a plumber, was executed. Early that month witnesses had seen him being arrested by army troops as they were carrying out a search operation in the La Legua shantytown. Days later his family found his body at the Medical Legal Institute. It had many perforating bullet wounds to the face and head, the chest and abdomen. According to the death certificate, he was killed on October 14, 1973. Bearing in mind these circumstances of his arrest and death, this Commission has come to the conviction that Segundo Lira Bravo suffered a human rights violation when he was executed by government agents.
            
            On October 15, 1973, Manuel Segundo TAQUIAS VERGARA, 38, a worker who was not politically active, was killed. At 10 a.m. that day he was with other people on the corner of Calle San Diego and Calle Copiapó when a police patrol came by. In the presence of witnesses, the police told them to break up and began shooting. They wounded Taquias and two other people. He was taken to the Barros Luco Hospital where he died some hours later. This Commission has come to the conviction that Manuel Taquias Vergara died as a result of the actions of government agents who used excessive and indiscriminate force, and thereby gravely violated human rights.
            
            On October 15, 1973, Sergio Manuel CASTRO SAAVEDRA, 15, a fruit and vegetable vendor, was executed. He was arrested that day at his home in the Renca district by members of the army and police. His body, bearing an abdominal wound, was found at Quilicura hill, which is very close to where he was arrested. Officials had him buried without informing his relatives. According to the death certificate, he was killed on October 15, 1973. Taking into account the evidence it has gathered on his arrest and also the circumstances and cause of his death, this Commission has come to the conviction that Sergio Manuel Castro was executed by government agents while he was at their mercy; such an action constituted a human rights violation.
            
            On October 15, 1973, Luis VERGARA GONZALEZ, 22, a worker, and Hernán PEÑA CATALAN, 20, a driver's assistant, disappeared. At 9:15 p.m. that day police from the Thirteenth station at Los Guindos arrested Luis Vergara in the La Faena shantytown a few blocks from his parents' house. The police went with Vergara to Hernán Peña's house. There, according to relatives, the police said they already had Vergara and if they found Peña they were going to kill him. In the course of the day they proceeded to search the house. They asked about Peña but he was not there since he was working. Neither of these persons was ever heard from again, despite numerous efforts both families made to find them. Since it is established that one was arrested by government agents, the other one for whom they were looking must be presumed to have been arrested. Bearing in mind that there was never any further word of them and that there is no record of their having left the country, this Commission has come to the conviction that Hernán Peña Catalán and Luis Armando Vergara were arrested and disappeared at the hands of government agents and that this action constituted a grave human rights violation.
            
            On October 15, 1973, Domingo Manuel MEDINA RIQUELME, 25, an electrician, was executed. At 2:30 a.m. that day he and his brother were arrested by a patrol of five soldiers and one police officer who were using a government jeep. The patrol took the prisoners to lot 68 on the road to Lonquén in the Santa Ana de Chena district. There they ordered them to stand alongside an irrigation canal and shot them at around 11:00 a.m. that same day. Domingo Medina Riquelme died of these bullet wounds, and his body was carried away downstream. His brother was only wounded and managed to escape. According to the autopsy report the cause of death was multiple bullet wounds. In view of these established facts, the Commission has come to the conviction that Domingo Medina Riquelme suffered a grave human rights violation since he was executed by government agents.
            
            On October 16, 1973, José Wannio DE MATTOS SANTOS, 47, a Brazilian, was killed. Highly reliable sources told this Commission that by October 13, 1973, he was being held in the National Stadium and was ill. That day he had "symptoms of worsening typhus with constipation and vomiting." Officials at the stadium said he would have to wait ten days to receive attention in the field hospital because they did not have the capacity to take care of all the sick. When the medical delegate in the National Stadium was asked to have him transferred to the Military Hospital, the request was denied. Consequently, he died on October 16, 1973 in the field hospital at the National Stadium as a result of "acute peritonitis." It is the conviction of this Commission that José Wannio de Mattos Santos died because government agents denied him the timely and effective medical treatment he needed, and that this was a grave violation of his right to physical integrity and of his right to life.
            
            On October 16, 1973, Mario Armando GHO ALARCON, 19, a conscript of the Buin Regiment, was killed. He was arrested at the regimental headquarters, where he was doing his military service, and he was accused of intending to free a prisoner. Witnesses say that ever since September 11, 1973 Mario Gho had been expressing reservations about the military's actions in a number of operations. That was why he was tried before a war tribunal. During the interrogation he was repeatedly beaten. Qualified witnesses have testified to this Commission that after one of these interrogations, he was shot from behind without any provocation on his part. He died at the José Joaquín Aguirre Hospital. With the evidence and testimony it has received, this Commission has come to the conviction that whatever disobedience to military discipline he may have committed, Mario Armando Gho Alarcón was executed without any due process of law nor justification by those who had arrested him. That was a violation of his right to due process and his right to life.
            
            On October 16, 1973, Juan Angel GALLEGOS GALLEGOS, 38, a tailor who was president of the neighborhood council of the Sarmiento shantytown and an active Communist, disappeared. That day he was arrested in the presence of witnesses by police who were carrying out a search operation in that shantytown. Other residents were also apprehended, and all were taken to the local athletic field. That was the last place Gallegos was seen, and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day. He has not requested to have his identification card renewed, there is no record of his leaving the country, nor is there any record of his death. Since his arrest is established, this Commission has come to the conviction that government agents were responsible for the subsequent disappearance of Juan Angel Gallegos, which constituted a human rights violation.
            
            On October 16, 1973, Luis Enrique PEREZ BALBONTIN, 22, a disabled news vendor, was killed. On the 15th, witnesses observed him being arrested at his worksite by police who were making inquiries in order to arrest people whose names they had on a list. He was then taken to the San Rafael shantytown checkpoint. The next day, October 16, his body was found on an empty lot in the area of Nos. The autopsy report states that the cause of death was a bullet wound and that it occurred on October 16. Bearing in mind that it is established that he was arrested and was taken to the San Rafael checkpoint and that he died while he was being held prisoner, the Commission came to the conviction that he was executed by government agents in violation of his human rights.
            
            On October 16, 1973, José Daniel HERNANDEZ ORREGO, 31, a worker who was active in the Socialist party, disappeared. When army troops searching his house that day did not find him, they left orders that he present himself at the cultural center in Barrancas (now Pudahuel) where army troops from the Subofficials Training School and the Yungay Regiment from San Felipe were quartered. When he came home from work José Hernández was given that summons and decided to comply. This happened at about 1:00 p.m. He told his family that if he did not return by 7:00 p.m., they should take him a blanket. Since he did not return they went to the cultural center. They were told he did not need anything. His relatives heard different stories, but since that day they have had no further word about him. This Commission has come to the conviction that José Daniel Hernández did in fact report to government agents, and they made him disappear and so violated his human rights.
            
            On October 17, 1973, Juan Carlos AMPUERO GOMEZ, 26, an office worker and an active Communist, was killed. He was arrested that day by a military patrol and taken to the National Stadium. According to witnesses, he was executed at the stadium. Although the body was not turned over to the family, they were given a death certificate which says that he died October 17 of "a perforating bullet wound to the thorax." They were told that his body was buried in Lot 29 of the General Cemetery. Since witnesses have testified that he was arrested and held in custody, and considering the cause of death, the fact that it occured two days after his arrest [sic] and the nature of his political activity, this Commission has come to the conviction that Juan Carlos Ampuero was executed by government agents in an action that gravely violated human rights.
            
            On October 17, 1973, Jaime JIMENEZ JIMENEZ, 29, a worker and CUT (Unified Labor Federation)^v leader was arrested. He was arrested during a military operation in the Nuevo Amanecer shantytown, and was taken to the Puente Alto Regiment. There his family was told he had been taken to the local prison where prison officials at first admitted, and later denied, that they were holding him. Subsequently his wife went to the Medical Legal Institute, where his name appeared on a list. She also learned that he had been buried in Lot 29 of the General Cemetery. According to his death certificate he died of a "thoracic cardiopulmonary bullet wound," and had been found in the street on October 21, 1973. The Commission came to the conviction that Jaime Jiménez was executed by government agents, because he died while he was in their custody; this action constituted a grave violation of his right to life.
            
            On October 17, 1973, Pedro Hugo PEREZ GODOY, 15, a seventh grade student, disappeared. That day while curfew was in effect police arrested him before witnesses and took him to the National Stadium. He was last seen there during November 1973. The Commission came to the conviction that government agents were responsible for the disappearance of Pedro Pérez Godoy and so violated his human rights, since it is established that he was arrested and that there has been no further word about his fate, and especially because his age makes it unlikely that he would have disappeared by his own decision.
            
            On October 17, 1973, the following persons were executed: Carlos Rodolfo ADLER ZULUETA, 25, an Argentinean with Chilean residency since March 1973; it is not known whether he was politically active;
            
            Beatriz Elena DIAZ AGUERO, 26, a pregnant Argentinean with Chilean residency since March 1973;
            
            Víctor Alejandro GARRETON ROMERO, 60, an importer who was active in the National party;
            
            Cristián MONTECINOS SLAUGHTER, 27, a married employee of the International Monetary Fund;
            
            Julio Andrés SAA PIZARRO, 37, a dental surgeon;
            
            Jorge Miguel SALAS PARADISI, 25, mathematical pedagogy student at the Valparaiso campus of the University of Chile who was then living in Santiago in order to undergo a medical treatment that kept him confined to bed for long periods of time.
            
            These persons were arrested in high-rise No. 12 of the San Borja apartment complex early in the morning October 16, 1973 by troops from the Army Subofficers School in Santiago. Except for the first two, who were a married couple, they had no connections with each other. They were arrested after a female neighbor turned them in by telephone, as has been duly established in testimony taken by this Commission. After arrest they were taken first to a house at Calle Londres No. 38 (the address that the DINA later used as a detention site). While still in army custody they were then taken to the cultural center in Barrancas, where others saw them.
            
            Their dead bodies were found on October 17, 1973 at kilometer 12 of the highway from Santiago to Valparaiso by the Lo Prado Tunnel, and were taken to the Medical Legal Institute. This was indicated on all their death certificates and autopsy reports, which in every case state that the cause of death was "multiple bullet wounds." Immediately after these events, at the request of Carlos Garretón, the father of one of the victims, the army undertook an internal investigation and concluded that this was a case of "a military error." The families were so advised and the army proceeded to inform them of the "junta government's regret over this enormous military error."
            
            In a response to the Interamerican Human Rights Commission, the Chilean government stated that at around 5:00 a.m. on October 17, 1973, these six people, "taking advantage of the precarious conditions of the building, fled through a window without bars toward a fence between the apartment area and surrounding shantytowns. Sentries for the military garrison caught them as they were fleeing, notified them that they were under arrest, properly ordered them to halt, and shot into the air." The report provided by the military government goes on to say that "the prisoners nevertheless continued to run away, and thus the sentries took aim and shot them, thus causing their death." The official response concludes by noting that "subsequently the bodies of the six prisoners were driven in a truck to the area of the Lo Prado Tunnel, where the army had a field hospital. Their bodies were handed over and driven in a hospital ambulance to the Medical Legal Institute, where the required autopsies were carried out."
            
            The Commission has rejected the official version offered by the Chilean government, especially for the following reasons:
            
            
            • The two written accounts, the army's investigation and the government's official reply, are contradictory;
              
              
            • It is inconceivable that these people could have gotten together to plan to run away, since there was no relationship between them except the fact that they lived in the same building. Moreover, it must be kept in mind that one of these people was a pregnant woman and another was a young man who was in a continually drowsy condition as a result of his medical treatment, and thus it is unlikely that he would be strong enough to try to get over a fence as stated in that account;
              
              
            • It does not make sense that after being wounded, they would be transferred to another place, the Lo Prado Tunnel, which is twelve kilometers away;
              
              
            • Finally, the story about attempted flight is common to a number of other executions by troops who were quartered at the cultural center in Barrancas.
              
              
            With regard to the official account and the facts it has been able to attest, the Commission has come to the conviction that Carlos Rodolfo Adler, Beatriz Elena Díaz, Víctor Alejandro Garretón, Cristián Montecinos, Julio Andrés Saa, and Jorge Miguel Salas were executed without any due process of law nor justification by government agents who violated their right to life.
            
            On October 17, 1973, Néstor GONZALEZ RAMOS, a draftsman and leftist who had actively participated in the Popular Unity's presidential campaign, was killed. On the day of his death, witnesses observed him being arrested by troops at the house of his uncle. His family made many efforts to determine his whereabouts but to no avail. His body bearing bullet wounds was found near the Lo Prado Tunnel. The death certificate states that he died on October 17, 1973. This Commission has come to the conviction that Néstor González Ramos was executed by government agents while he was under arrest and in their custody, thus constituting a grave human rights violation.
            
            On October 17, 1973, José Miguel VALLE PEREZ, 15, disappeared. At 10:30 a.m. that day the police arrested him in his house. That day shots were coming from a jeep as it pulled up to the entrance to the Lo Ovalle alleyway. Like many other people José Valle went out to see what was happening. When he came back home and closed the door, police knocked it down and seized the youth, handcuffed him, and put him into the jeep. His mother looked for him in local police stations and headquarters and in the Medical Legal Institute but to no avail. When inquiries were made as the result of a habeas corpus introduced by his family, officials never acknowledged that he had been arrested. Having established his arrest and subsequent disappearance on the same day, this Commission has come to the conviction that José Miguel Valle was arrested by government agents and disappeared in their hands, and that this action constituted a grave human rights violation.
            
            On October 17, 1973, José Miguel MUÑOZ BIZAMA, 21, a student who was active in MIR, disappeared after being arrested at his home in the San Ramón district. He was transferred to the Paratroop Training School at Colina, where he was held prisoner and was seen by witnesses. Since that time there has been no further word about him, despite many efforts by his relatives to determine his whereabouts. This Commission has come to the conviction that José Miguel Muñoz was arrested by government agents and disappeared in their hands, in what was thus a human rights violation. The nature of the victim's political activism and the circumstances of his arrest and detention, after which all traces of him vanish, lend support to this conviction.
            
            

v) CUT-Central Unica de Trabajadores de Chile: The CUT was officially founded in February of 1953, but it was preceded by several other organizations in an attempt to unify into a single force Chile's many and disparate labor groups. It was formed by unions and federations of state workers, students, miners, factory workers, rural workers among other labor sectors. Its first president was Clotario Blest, who continued to be an influential leader throughout the history of the CUT, and its first Council of National Direction was composed mostly of communist and socialist labor leaders. The CUT was disbanded by the junta in November 1973. With Chile's transition to democracy it has slowly reemerged as a voice for labor in negotiations with private industry leaders and the government.

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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), 213-224.
Note: Digitized and posted by permission of the University of Notre Dame Press, February 22, 2000.