27 years after the homicide of Socialist leader Jecar Nehgme Cornejo, father of MIR spokesperson Jecar Nehgme Cristi—who was himself assassinated in 1989—a criminal complaint was filed before Judge Juan Guzmán Tapia, sponsored by lawyer Nelson Caucoto, against Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, Pablo Iturriaga Marchesse, and those who may be found responsible for the crimes of illegal detention, torture, and kidnapping resulting in homicide.

The treacherous crime against Nehgme Cornejo was one of the consequences of the visit to the south by the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and President of the Military Junta, Augusto Pinochet, and his own Caravan of Death, just over a month after the coup d'état.

"There are extremists left in the Los Lagos area, which is why I have come to assess whether there is a need to reinforce the troops or order another operation to exterminate them," declared Pinochet on Friday, October 26, 1973, in Temuco. He thus explained the nature of his visit to the region, even though his men had already murdered and imprisoned a large portion of those who opposed the coup.

In fact, in the first days of October, Sergio Arellano Stark had already left his trail of death in the area. Journalistic anticipation had remained high in Temuco since the afternoon of the previous day, when three helicopters flew over the city and it became known that they were escorting Pinochet.

That morning, the caravan had landed in Concepción to be briefed on the situation in the province, and during the afternoon it flew over the current capital of the IX Region while heading to Valdivia. It was 18:10 hours when Pinochet's helicopter landed at the Cazadores Regiment.

He was awaited by the commander of the Cavalry Division and head of the zone under a state of siege, General Héctor Bravo Muñoz, and commanders Santiago Sinclair, Gerónimo Pantoja, and Patricio Bravo Peralta, from the Cazadores, Maturana, and Membrillar units.

After General Bravo Muñoz detailed the "normality and tranquility" being experienced in the area, Pinochet warned publicly: "If the extremists do not surrender, they will have to die in combat. If they surrender, they will be subjected to war tribunals." Immediately afterward, he went with General Bravo to the division headquarters to meet with officers and members of the general staff to be briefed on the situation in the zone.

The delegation spent the night in Valdivia. A few kilometers away, in Temuco, a group of soldiers entered the home of Jecar Nehgme Cornejo around 1:30 a.m. on October 26, 1973. "They asked for Juan Vera.

When they saw he didn't live there, they left. A minute later, they returned and asked for Jecar. 'Ma'am, he has to be detained,' they told me," recounted Manuela Cristi, his wife. They immediately took him away in a patrol vehicle, just as they did his friend Gastón Elgueta Elgueta, a militant of the Socialist Party and leader of the National Federation of Health Workers (FENATS).

It was 6:00 a.m. when Manuela went to the Tucapel Regiment No. 8, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Pablo Iturriaga Marchesse. She insisted on knowing about her husband, but there was no answer. "If you want to take the body, keep quiet, and remember that you have children," a soldier told her.

Her three children were at school, and they were picked up to be told that their father had died. Without knowing how, they arrived at the morgue. "There was no one there, my mother wasn't there. She arrived soon after, and apparently, she walked alone from the regiment to the morgue," recalls her daughter Fahra, who was 9 years old at the time.

Threats loomed over the Nehgme Cristi family, so they decided to leave Temuco. They took the coffin, gathered some belongings, and in an old vehicle, they began, along with their father and companion, a long and painful journey to Santiago.

At the Temuco airport, General Pinochet and his delegation stepped off helicopter No. 256 when the clock struck 11:27 hours. He was received by the members of the province's military junta: the Intendant Colonel, Hernán Ramírez; the commander of the Tucapel Regiment, Pablo Iturriaga; the commander of Helicopter Group No. 3, Andrés Pacheco; and the Prefect of Carabineros, Gregorio San Martín.

Faced with the interest of the journalists, Pinochet explained: "I come rather as Commander-in-Chief of the Army. We are acting in an operation throughout the zone, and I have come to personally inform myself of all the activities being carried out." From the point of view of the Commander-in-Chief, the "normality of the zone" was not guaranteed; there were still pockets of resistance.

The "extremists" to whom Pinochet referred were Mapuche people, members of leftist parties, social leaders, and people who, although they did not fit any of those descriptions, were also brutally murdered.

BLACK BERET PATROL

Jecar Nehgme Cornejo and Gastón Elgueta Elgueta were not the only victims of Pinochet's visit to the south. On October 25, 1973, in Pitrufquén, Luis Anselmo Fernández Barrera and Celso Avendaño Alarcón were detained under similar circumstances. Their families were informed that they had been transferred to the Temuco jail, but they never appeared.

Two days later in Toltén, Communiqué No. 87 of the Cautín Military Intendancy announced that at the Carabineros station, "the activist Guillermo Hernández Elgueta, former sub-delegate of Cunco, was being interrogated, who (...) taking advantage of the fact that the facility's door was open, surprisingly fled, disobeying the order of detention, upon which personnel used their firearms, and he was discharged [killed]."

On October 16, 1973, Socialist Party militant Eliseo Segundo Jara Ríos was detained in Victoria and taken to jail. On October 27, he was taken out in very poor condition. That same day, Pedro Muñoz Apablaza was detained in that city by an Army Black Beret patrol that arrived by helicopter on a special mission.

The commandos executed the two detainees at the "California" estate, on the road to Curacautín.

In Puerto Saavedra, Francisco Segundo Curamil Castillo, Mauricio Huenucoi Antil, and Bernardo Nahuelcoi Chihuaicura were detained the night a military contingent from Temuco arrived in that town. Their lifeless bodies were abandoned and found by their relatives with numerous bullet wounds.

In sum, there were ten victims during Pinochet's visit to the area: eight political executions and two forcibly disappeared. These murders, the dictator's visit to the headquarters of the III and IV Army Divisions (Concepción and Valdivia) in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and the accounts recorded in the Rettig Report regarding a military patrol on a special mission, confirm the "operation" to which Pinochet referred in his statements.

He traveled to the area to personally order the kidnappings and executions of his opponents. And those who were in charge of the military units (see box), who were his subordinates, were not unaware of these events.

In the case of Elgueta and Nehgme, it was Commander Iturriaga Marchesse himself who signed the communiqué announcing their deaths, so he could not have been unaware of the circumstances in which these events occurred.

"HE KNEW THEY COULD KILL HIM"

The Nehgme family had lived in Temuco for six years. While a student at the Normal School for Teachers, Jecar Nehgme Cornejo joined the Socialist Youth. In 1960, at age 18, he married 16-year-old Manuela Cristi. From that marriage, Jecar, Milagros, and Fahra were born.

As a teacher, Nehgme specialized in sanitation and worked for the National Health Service, which transferred him to Temuco in 1967. There, he served as head of the Health Education Department and as a professor at the Training Center of the National Health Service Directorate. Shortly after, he joined the University of Chile as a professor and head of the Sanitation Technician program.

His social and political commitment was expressed not only in active militancy but also in various organizations, from rehabilitation centers for alcoholics and Mapuche communities to the National Federation of Health Workers (FENATS). "Since Allende took office, the family dedicated itself to the work of the Popular Unity.

The children participated in volunteer work. Our life was very beautiful and we all participated," noted Manuela.

Two days after the coup, Jecar Nehgme was summoned via a military communiqué and told he could not leave Temuco. Days later, he was forced to sign his resignation from his job.

"He knew they could kill him. He even prepared me; he told me that I was going to experience fascism, that it would be worse than in Franco's Spain," his son Jecar recalled a decade later in Análisis magazine.

On October 28, 1973, Manuela and her children were already in Santiago. That day, El Diario Austral of Temuco published Communiqué No. 12 of the Garrison Command, which provided the official version of the deaths of Jecar Nehgme and Gastón Elgueta: "By order of the Military Prosecutor's Office, citizens Jecar Nehgme Cornejo and Gastón Elgueta, proven terrorists, were arrested on the 25th (of October) at 22:30 hours.

During the transfer from the place of detention to the Tucapel Infantry Regiment No. 8, they tried to attack the patrol and seize the sentry's weapon, for which they were discharged [killed]. Signed: Pablo Iturriaga Marchesse, Colonel, Commander of the Temuco Military Garrison." Once again, shock struck the family.

Why did they change the date of detention and death? Manuela Cristi had to wait a long time to declare the true version of her husband's murder, which she finally did before the National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation.

Today, although there is more hope for achieving justice, lawyer Nelson Caucoto states that it will depend on the resources available to Judge Guzmán for the investigation. "He works in precarious conditions," he comments. "To investigate all the cases he handles, he should have at least 200 detectives, but he has 15 at most."

However, it is expected that the Nehgme Cornejo case will advance quickly due to the strength of the evidence it contains. For Nelson Caucoto, the fact that the dictator was in the area is not minor. "Pinochet declared openly that he was there as Commander-in-Chief and to exterminate opponents.

As Commander-in-Chief, he assumes command of the zone and its troops. And it turns out that it is his troops who exterminate opponents. Furthermore, he promises trials to those who surrender, and he does not comply. Perhaps today he would like to deny these statements because of the virulence they provoke."

THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

"To be very honest, since I was a child, I have believed that these coups are meant to destroy us. One must have the capacity to keep living, thus demonstrating that there is no way they can make us change course," Jecar Nehgme Cristi noted years later, remembering his father's death. And that is what he did.

In 1979, Jecar began studying History at the Pedagogical Institute, where he met his partner, Agueda Sáez, and joined the MIR. Along with many other students, he promoted the creation of the National Union of Democratic Students (UNED), of which he was a leader.

These were the times when massive popular protests to overthrow the dictatorship were beginning. "El Turco," as they called Jecar, was detained for the first time on August 25, 1982, and tortured by the CNI.

However, his work did not stop. In 1984, he was actively participating in the Popular Democratic Movement (MDP). In that group, he was detained along with other people and relegated to Puerto Cisnes. Later, he participated in the United Left (IU), where he held the position of vice president.

On September 4, 1989, when the country was preparing for the first presidential elections, Jecar Nehgme Cristi was assassinated. He had left his party office at Moneda 2423 around 21:20 hours to meet Agueda Sáez, the mother of his son Jecar.

In front of number 14 on Bulnes Street, "unknown persons" riddled him with twelve bullets. He was only 28 years old.

The news shocked public opinion, which condemned the CNI. The case, in the hands of visiting minister Alfredo Pfeiffer, remains pending. On May 30 of this year, Milagros and Fahra Nehgme, along with Agueda Sáez, requested that this judge recuse himself.

Manuela Cristi died in early 1996, at age 51, after dedicating her life to her children. Despite the pain of not seeing the crimes against her husband and son clarified, she died with the conviction that, if she could go back, she would not have changed anything: "I would look for the same partner and I would raise my children exactly the same, as honest and hardworking men and women.

If I could change something, it would be to be a little more political to avoid these crimes," she said.

Military authorities of the IV Army Division based in Valdivia, in 1973:

(Jurisdiction in the provinces from Malleco to Llanquihue) Division Command: General Héctor Bravo Muñoz Chief of Staff: Colonel Carlos Paulsen Baeza

Operational Units

Tucapel Mountain Infantry Regiment No. 8, Temuco. Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Pablo Iturriaga Marchesse. 2nd Commander: Major Luis Jofré Soto Sangra Infantry Regiment No. 12, Puerto Montt. Commander: Colonel Rubén Rojas Román La Concepción Infantry Regiment No. 10, Lautaro.

Commander: Colonel Hernán Ramírez Ramírez Cazadores Cavalry Regiment No. 2, Valdivia. Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Santiago Sinclair Oyaneder. 2nd Commander: Major José Feliú Madinagiotía Húsares Cavalry Regiment No. 3, Angol.

Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Alejandro Morel Donoso. 2nd Commander: Major Patricio O'Ryan Munita Miraflores Artillery Regiment No. 4, Traiguén. Commander: Colonel Elio Bacigalupo Sorucco Maturana Motorized Artillery Regiment, Valdivia.

Commander: Colonel Héctor González Membrillar Telecommunications Regiment No. 4, Valdivia. Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Patricio Bravo Pantoja Arauco Motorized Engineering Regiment No. 4, Osorno. Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Lizardo Abarca Maggi. 2nd Commander: Major Antonio Ramírez Parga Logistics Battalion No. 4, Victoria. Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Luis René Vega Fonseca.

Source: Punto Final.cl, October 6, 2000

Celia, Ruth, and Ana are three women who declare themselves fervent admirers of the late dictatorship general, Manuel Contreras. For them, and the hundreds of friends who support them, Manuel Contreras was the greatest liberator of Chile.

They dedicate songs to him, pray daily for his soul to rest in peace, and today they mourn his passing for not having been sent off as he deserved. They do not care about going against an entire country and shout their love for the former director of the DINA to the four winds.

"He was the most human of all" I have the best opinion of General Manuel Contreras. I was the girlfriend of an Army captain who worked at Tejas Verdes, Lizardo Simón Abarca Maggi. Manuel Contreras was his boss.

He told me wonders! That he was a tremendous director, all the troops loved him, they said he was the most human of all. They told me the same about Colonel Labbé. That is why I defend them so much. The communists invent lies.

They also invented things about my boyfriend. They say he killed 140 people at Tejas Verdes and another 600 in Osorno. On the Internet, they post that he is a fugitive. He died 20 years ago! That is why I do not believe the accusations people make about General Contreras.

I don't know if it's too much fanaticism, but I swear to you that the military wouldn't even hurt a fly. When my boyfriend gave me the ring, we went to the Virgin of San Cristóbal to have them blessed.

There, he saw a fly drowning in a stream. With an ice cream spatula, he took it out so it could live. He loved children, the elderly; they were good men. When Contreras accidentally killed that child in the south, he almost died!

How could he be capable of killing so many people? I wanted to go to the Military Hospital, but I didn't want to expose myself. That is why I have him in my prayers now, so he can rest as he deserves. How un-Christian this country is; it was a horror to see celebrations everywhere.

Why would General Contreras order people to be killed? I had a Polaroid at that time, I took photos, I would have seen something. These rats who talk, about the rapes. Pure lies! You put a speculum on a woman and she's left on a thread!

And these women go around laughing while telling what happened to them. Communism is dark. How horrible is the lie. It is better that my general has died, so that he could rest in peace and the communists have nothing to feed their circus.

He was a cadet, a boy with illusions; he was not to blame for what his country turned into. The Army wanted to avoid a mess with a tribute, but they should have done it anyway. There are many of us who were left wanting.

I would have also loved to go to his funeral. We would have done something beautiful, like we did at the funeral of Odlanier Mena. There, we asked the widow for permission and sang the national anthem with all three verses. I would have sung to General Contreras, "Your men, brave soldiers." He deserved it. For me, Manuel Contreras liberated me; he is a hero of the fatherland.

CELIA BETANCOURT (70)

"We should never be ashamed of him" I met Manuel Contreras in the late 70s because I was part of the Mothers' Centers (CEMA Chile). Many times they scheduled visits for us to go to the Military School to share with General Pinochet.

I was happy; my whole family has a long military tradition. It was a source of pride. In one of those visits, I met Manuel Contreras. He had a very good presence; he was a very upright man. Very good at listening, at sharing, at conversing.

That is why when he was detained, I felt very sorry. It was very unfair. What happened in Chile just had to happen. They are casualties of the military pronouncement. Manuel Contreras was a great man to whom we owe a lot, and we should never be ashamed of him.

We started going to see him in jail along with a group of ladies who belonged to the "5 Stars" circle, a very select social circle of women close to the military. When they took him to Punta Peuco, we organized gatherings.

We brought him nice little things for tea. What he liked most were cakes; his favorite was pineapple. We had an incredible time. The last time I saw him was a month ago. He was already doing poorly. He knew he was going to die, and I saw him very sad.

I am very Catholic. I pray for him and for the other military men, every day when I get home at night. I lock myself in my room to say my prayers. I take the time to ask for the soul of Manuel Contreras and his rest.

What made me most sad about his death was the country's reaction. There were people drinking alcohol! I wanted to go and tell them something, but there were too many. It is not worth praying for those people.

What is Contreras to blame if it was the same people who asked for the military? The same politicians? I would have liked them to give him a beautiful funeral, worthy of a general. I don't understand how no one paid him honors. In this country, no one stood up for themselves. Manuel Contreras was not a murderer; he was a man who did his job well.

RUTH GARCÍA (68)

"I pray the complete Rosary of Mercy for him" Manuel Contreras was a liberator of our fatherland, an exemplary man. Now I miss him because he left us helpless. These communists come with revanchism; they are worse than termites.

How much we need Manuel Contreras! And not just one; we should have many General Contrerases. He and the brave soldiers didn't kill anyone; there is much evidence that the communists killed each other.

If their mothers had to kill them, their mothers did it. That is how savage they are. The soldiers just defended themselves. It would have been an honor to go visit Manuel Contreras when he was in prison.

I was registered for the visits to Punta Peuco, but since I am an old lady, I cannot go alone. I would have gone with a thousand loves, happily. I still cannot believe that no one wanted to pay him honors.

How they provoked this dishonor! I ask God for him every day. I pray the complete Rosary of Mercy at three in the afternoon, for my General Contreras and for the fallen of the Army. They are in my prayers.

I ask God to do divine justice and to allow the liberation of our heroes so that they do not die like Manuel Contreras. All these natural disasters in Chile are part of divine justice! There is no justice in this country.

Our heroes are in prison, and look how they defend this former conscript who spoke about this burned girl. He got rich! They gave him 80 million and he bought a mansion. I know it from a good source! I would like to have a little photo of Manuel Contreras in my house, to remember him.

I would like one where he looks handsome, like the ones I have of my dear Pinochet. I would pray to him and to my dear Pinochet. They are my greatest pride. The only thing I hope is that they have a calm and glorious eternal life!

Source: the clinic.cl, August 18, 2015

Having seen: The provisions of Decree Law No. 1 of this date and considering that the country is in the situation provided for in Article 31, second paragraph of Law No. 12.927, of August 6, 1958, the Government Junta of the Republic of Chile has agreed and decrees the following,

Decree-Law

Article 1.- A State of Emergency is declared as of this date, for up to the maximum period provided for in Art. 31, second paragraph of Law No. 12.927, in the provinces and departments indicated below, and the following Officers of the Armed Forces are designated as their Chiefs, with all the powers determined in Articles 33 and 34 of the same legal body: a) Province of Tarapacá. (Except Arica Department). - Brigadier General CARLOS FORESTIER HAENSGEN (Comptroller's Roll No. 30.344 - RUN: In process) b) Arica Department. - Colonel ODLANIER MENA SALINAS (Comptroller's Roll No. 52.426 - RUN: 1.912.932-2). c) Province of Antofagasta. (Except El Loa Department). - Brigadier General JOAQUIN LAGOS OSORIO (Comptroller's Roll No. 44.678 - RUN: In process). d) El Loa Department. - Colonel EUGENIO RIVERA DESGROUX (Comptroller's Roll No. 71.358 - RUN: In process). e) Province of Atacama. (Except Huasco and Freirina Departments). - Lieutenant Colonel OSCAR HAAG VLASCHKE (Comptroller's Roll No. 38.901 - RUN: 2.529.747-2). f) Province of Coquimbo and Huasco and Freirina Departments. - Lieutenant Colonel ARIOSTO LAPOSTOL ORREGO (Comptroller's Roll No. 44.943 - RUN: O.192.137-2). g) Province of Aconcagua. - Colonel HECTOR OROZCO SEPÚLVEDA (Comptroller's Roll No. 61.247 - RUN: 2.325.826-9). h) Province of Valparaíso. - Rear Admiral ADOLFO WALBAUM WIEBER (Comptroller's Roll No. 091.395 - RUN: In process). i) Province of Santiago. - Brigadier General HERMAN JULIO BRADY ROCHE (Comptroller's Roll No. 11.825 - RUN: 0.604.372-0). j) Province of O'higgins. - Lieutenant Colonel CRISTIAN ACKERKNECHT SAN MARTIN (Comptroller's Roll No. 438 - RUN: In process). k) Province of Colchagua. - Colonel HERNAN BRANTES MARTINEZ (Comptroller's Roll No. 11.826 - RUN: 1.929.241-K). l) Province of Curicó. - Lieutenant Colonel SERGIO ANGELOTTI CADIZ (Comptroller's Roll No. 4.200 - RUN: 2.596.800-K). m) Province of Talca. - Lieutenant Colonel EFRAIN JAÑA GIRON (Comptroller's Roll No. 42.446 - RUN: 2.127.320-0). n) Province of Linares. - Colonel GABRIEL DEL RIO ESPINOZA (Comptroller's Roll No. 70.591 - RUN: 1.696.269-4). ñ) Province of Maule. - Lieutenant Colonel RUBEN CASTILLO WHYTE (Comptroller's Roll No. 17.998 - RUN: 2.244.086-1). o) Province of Ñuble. - Colonel JUAN G. TORO DAVILA (Comptroller's Roll No. 83.325 - RUN: 2.155.397-2). p) Provinces of Concepción and Arauco (Except Talcahuano and Tomé Departments). - Brigadier General WASHINGTON CARRASCO FERNANDEZ (Comptroller's Roll No. 16.779 - RUN: 1.850.021-3). q) Talcahuano and Tomé Department. - Rear Admiral JORGE PAREDES WETZER (Comptroller's Roll 063.636 - RUN: 4.465.524-1). r) Province of Bío-Bío. - Colonel ALFREDO REHREN PULIDO (Comptroller's Roll No. 69.713 - RUN: 1.816.204-0). s) Province of Malleco (Except Angol Department). - Lieutenant Colonel ELIOS BACIGALUPO SORACCO (Comptroller's Roll No. 7.880 - RUN: 2.129.904-9). t) Angol Department. - Lieutenant Colonel ALEJANDRO MOREL DONOSO (Comptroller's Roll No. 56.184 - RUN: 2.128.185-9). u) Province of Cautín (Except Temuco Department). - Colonel HERNAN J. RAMIREZ RAMIREZ (Comptroller's Roll No. 69.108 - RUN: 1.803.092-6). v) Temuco Department. - Lieutenant Colonel PABLO ITURRIAGA MARCHESSE (Comptroller's Roll No. 042.301 - RUN: 2.128.575-7). w) Province of Valdivia. - Brigadier General HECTOR BRAVO MUÑOZ (Comptroller's Roll No. 12.165 - RUN: In process). x) Province of Osorno. - Lieutenant Colonel LIZARDO SIMON ABARCA MAGGI (Comptroller's Roll No. 63 - RUN: 2.595.174-3). y) Provinces of Llanquihue and Chiloé. - Aviation Colonel SERGIO LEIGH GUZMAN (Comptroller's Roll No. 96.094 - RUN: 1.828.106-6). z) Province of Aysen. - Colonel HUMBERTO GORDON RUBIO (Comptroller's Roll No. 37.150 - RUN: 2.128.839-K). z') Province of Magallanes. - Division General MANUEL TORRES DE LA CRUZ (Comptroller's Roll No. 83.693 - RUN: 566.614-7). Article 2.- All forces of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabineros of Chile, and Investigations that are in or arrive at the jurisdictional territory of these Emergency Zones shall be placed under the authority of the respective Chief. Register with the Comptroller General of the Republic, publish in the Official Gazette, and insert in the Official Bulletins of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabineros, and Investigations, and in the Official Compilation of said Comptroller's Office. AUGUSTO PINOCHET UGARTE, Army General, Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- JOSE T. MERINO CASTRO, Admiral, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.- GUSTAVO LEIGH GUZMAN, Air General, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force.- CESAR MENDOZA DURAN, General, General Director of Carabineros.- Transcribed for your knowledge.- René C. Vidal Basauri, Lieutenant Colonel, Chief of the Special Affairs Dept., Acting Undersecretary of War.-

Source: Decree Law No. 4.- Santiago, September 11, 1973