Pinochet cronies arrested
May 28, 2008
SANTIAGO: Nearly 100 former Chilean soldiers and secret police from Augusto
Pinochet's dictatorship were ordered to be detained in the biggest single mass
arrest for abuses during the period, judicial sources said.
The investigating judge Victor Montiglio ordered the detentions on Monday in a
inquiry into the kidnapping and killing of 42 people during Operation Colombo
early in the 1973-90 dictatorship, during which 119 Pinochet opponents, many of
them leftists, died.
Some of those arrested worked for Pinochet's infamous DINA intelligence
service, which ran torture centers where hundreds of people were either killed
or vanished without a trace during one of the darkest periods of contemporary
Latin American history.
"This is excellent news, because Operation Colombo was also a case in which
General Pinochet's immunity from prosecution was stripped and, given the number
of victims, is an emblematic case," said Sergio Laurenti, executive director of
Amnesty International in Chile.
"But it is important that the police now furnish the necessary information to
enable the courts to proceed," he said. "There is a lack of co-operation from
the armed forces and security forces."
Among those being investigated is the former DINA head Manuel Contreras, who
has already been jailed for other abuses.
Pinochet's secret police collaborated with dictatorships in Argentina and
Brazil as part of a wider crackdown called Operation Condor, and at the time
explained away the disappearances in Chile by saying victims had fled the
country. The secret police later changed their story, and said victims were
killed due to internecine fighting.
"Minister Montiglio's investigations are meticulous," said Boris Paredes, a
lawyer for the Interior Ministry. "Logically, they attribute a great deal of
responsibility to the state apparatus. It was involved in these horrendous
crimes, and for that reason we will pursue those responsible to the very last."
Pinochet died in December 2006 without ever facing trial for the crimes of his
rule, during which 3000 people died or disappeared, 28,000 were tortured and
about 200,000 fled into exile.
"All advances in human rights cases are important," said the Chilean Justice
Minister, Carlos Maldonado. "Some cases are advancing more than others … but I
hope none are closed until all those responsible are found."
Chile has long grappled with the task of bringing to justice the perpetrators
of crimes committed during the Pinochet era. Relatives of victims say the
accused are have gotten off lightly and are being shielded by the army.
Reuters
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