A group of detained military in the Punta Peuco prison, a special prison for detainees for Crimes against humanity in Chili, recognized through a letter “human rights violations” during the dictatorship and they accused the higher commands of “pavid silence”, in addition to requesting “commiseration” from the political and judicial power. The government of Gabriel Boricwhich recently launched a search plan for the missing for the first timedemanded that they tell the whereabouts of the missing.
“In the fulfillment of our duties and in the way we understood it at that time (dictatorship), many of our actions produced violations of human rights, with serious consequences”they noted in the letter, which was delivered by lawyer Javiera Steger Vidal and read to the press by Pinochet deputy Gonzalo de la Carrera.
The writing, known one day after the fulfillment of 50 years of the coup that established the dictatorship led by Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), adds that such actions are “a reflection of a training that gave more importance to obedience” than to respect “for which he considered himself an adversary.”
“Assuming this reality, with the same firmness and dignity, we express our sorrow for those who, being the lowest and weakest link in the chain of command, today have the only future of ending their days in prison for carrying out the orders of their commanders, according to it was enshrined in current military legislation,” the letter says.
In that line, The inmates point out that they waited 33 years for “their superiors to assume responsibility for their orders” as a consequence of the “pavid silence of those who, invested with their ranks and positions, have not had the greatness to take charge of the orders they gave to their subordinates.”
Finally, the inmates of Punta Peuco request the “commiseration of the political and judicial power” to be able to be “together with their loved ones.”
“We ask civil society for support and understanding to make the long-awaited dream of “fair” justice for our subordinates come true.”the letter states.
“We who carried out the orders of our superiors in those fateful days that our country lived through 50 years ago and throughout the military government, renew our loyalty to the country and our institutions,” closes the statement from 27 convicts, who are in the Punta Peuco Special Penitentiary Detention and Compliance Center, a complex for military personnel and former agents of the Chilean State convicted of crimes against humanity during the Pinochet dictatorship.
“Where are the missing”
The Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Luis Corderosaid that when reading the writing it is clear that “there are people who they have information”.
“I believe that with the same initiative it would be very important for the country and family.” to tell us where they are (the missing in dictatorship),” the minister, who leads the National Search Plan of missing persons that President Gabriel Boric launched in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of the coup.
The deputy Karol Cariola Oliva He also expressed himself along the same lines: “The human rights violators imprisoned in Punta Peuco must contribute to justice by handing over the names of the generals and the orders they gave. Chile deserves to know the whole truth, including that of the cowardice of the officers who To this day they hide their responsibility in the crimes.
On the other hand, the socialist deputy Jaime Naranjo He described the confession as “advance” and stated that the Chilean right “has no more arguments” to say that human rights were not violated during the dictatorship.
Along these lines, the Social Convergence deputy, Lorena Fries, pointed out that it is appropriate to “investigate and punish” and that “there would be no benefits for them as long as they do not comply with the sentences.”
Search plan for missing persons
The Government of Gabriel Boric announced weeks ago that for the first time the State will assume the search for 1,162 missing detainees during the dictatorship of that country.
During decades, The search for the missing was carried out almost exclusively by the familiesbarely finding the remains of 307. 1,162 people still need to be found. “This figure should hurt us and make our blood burn, because it reflects the magnitude of the debt we have as a State and as a society,” said President Boric, when launching the National Plan for the Search for Truth and Justicethe first official initiative of this type, and one of his main government promises.
Boric He signed the decree that makes this plan official during a ceremony outside the presidential palace of La Moneda, which was attended by ministers and relatives of the victims but not by right-wing opposition forces.
The majority of the missing were workers and peasants with an average age of 29 years. The arrests began as soon as the military uprising took place, on September 11, 1973. The main obstacle to finding the missing until now has been the little collaboration of the Armed Forces, which relatives attribute to a “pact of silence” that It has been maintained since the dictatorship (1973-1990).
This Monday Chili yesterday held a series of tributes and commemorations to the figure of the former president Salvador Allende, who died after the military attack on the La Moneda Palace on September 11, 1973.
The coup d’état led to a dictatorship that lasted 17 years and was characterized by the murder, kidnapping, torture and censorship of thousands of Chileans at the hands of the military and state agents.
Source: Ambito
