Occupation : Retired due to disability. Worked at the JAP (Supply and Price Board) of Copihue Political Affiliation : Supporter of the U.P. (Popular Unity) Government Date of Detention : September 16, 1973

REPRESSIVE SITUATION

Aurelio Clodomiro Peñailillo Sepúlveda, single, retired due to disability, and a supporter of the Popular Unity Government, was detained on September 16, around 6:00 PM, in the town of Copihue, as he passed in front of the Carabineros station by personnel from that unit.

Shortly before, he had arrived from Santiago, where he had traveled to buy medicine for his sister Filomena, who was seriously ill. He visited his brother Eugenio, to whom he mentioned that he suspected he might be detained, as other friends of his had been denounced by a teacher and were imprisoned.

Among the arresting Carabineros, his brother remembers a Sergeant with the surname Ibáñez and a Corporal with the surname Montecinos.

The following day, he was transferred to the Parral Prison, where there is a record that he was admitted by order of the Governor at that time, Captain Hugo Cardemil. On September 18, his mother was informed at the prison that he had been transferred to Linares; however, the logs show that his departure was on September 26, when he was handed over to a Military Prosecutor's Office that operated in Parral at that time.

The truth is that what operated in that city was a Special Commission created by Captain Cardemil at the Investigations Headquarters, composed of military personnel and police officers, who interrogated the detainees and decided on their transfer to Linares, to the Army Artillery School, where the Military Tribunal was located.

According to testimonies from former prisoners, Aurelio Peñailillo was taken out of the Parral Prison on October 22, 1973, along with other political prisoners: Claudio Escanilla, Roberto Romero, José Bustos, Manuel Bascuñán, Ruperto Torres, Rafael Díaz, and a hospital practitioner with the surname González, all of whom are forcibly disappeared, except for the practitioner who was effectively released that night.

One of the witnesses remembers the date this occurred very well, as they were celebrating the birthday of another detainee, Alfonso Jerez, when Sergeant Moya, a gendarme who announced release notifications, arrived and read the names of those who were supposedly regaining their freedom that day.

Among the military personnel who carried out the transfers to the Linares Artillery School or the Parral Prison were Lieutenants Dodge and Sáenz and Corporals Raúl Ugalde and Manuel Moya; among the Carabineros were officers Luis Hidalgo, Ramón Valenzuela, and Germaín Morales, the latter now deceased.

To date, the whereabouts or fate of Aurelio Clodomiro Peñailillo Sepúlveda remain unknown.

JUDICIAL AND/OR ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS

On June 2, 1976, the affected man's mother filed a complaint for alleged disappearance in the Parral Court, which was processed under case file 31.119.

Although the testimony of the prisoners who regained their freedom indicates that Aurelio Peñailillo and the other detainees were taken out of the Parral Prison on October 22, the prison warden informed the court that the affected man was handed over on September 26, 1973, to a Military Prosecutor's Office that operated in that town.

The Ministry of the Interior and the National Service for Detainees (SENDET) stated they had no records of the victim. The Carabineros of Copihue also did not provide information on Peñailillo because the logs were at the Linares Prefecture; however, the officer in charge noted that he was apparently a member of the MIR or "of the left."

With this information, the judge closed the summary proceedings and temporarily dismissed the case because the crime had not been proven. This resolution was approved by the Court of Chillán on July 23, 1976, without the records from the Copihue station—which were archived at the Prefecture—being examined, nor was it determined which Military Prosecutor's Office had operated in Parral, as these inquiries were not ordered.

However, in the cases of other disappeared persons in Parral, it was established—according to the statement of the Governor, Captain Hugo Cardemil (who belonged to the Artillery School)—that there was no Military Prosecutor's Office in Parral, and that detainees were interrogated at the local Investigations Headquarters by a Special Commission created by him, and then, depending on the merits of their cases, they were sent to Linares where a military tribunal did indeed operate.

Aurelio Peñailillo had a hip defect that forced him to retire due to disability. He walked with a noticeable limp and needed help getting dressed.

Before his sick sister died in November of that year, 1973, the teacher who had denounced him went to ask for his forgiveness; she did the same when his mother passed away in 1980.

Source: Vicariate of Solidarity

Thus, the IACHR must determine whether the State of Chile fulfilled its duty to apply justice with appropriate and proportional sentences for criminals against humanity.

"We ask for and demand the penalty that corresponds to crimes that continue to affect us to this day, which meant the loss of our loved ones," expressed Gaby Rivera Sánchez, president of the Association of Relatives of the Forcibly Disappeared (AFDD). "Next year will be 50 years since the military coup in Chile.

It is time for the relatives of victims to have full justice," added Alicia Lira Matus, president of the Association of Relatives of Political Executions (AFEP), both quoted in a statement from the Association of Relatives of Political Executions (AFEP).

"A proportional and fair penalty is essential for the non-repetition of crimes against humanity in Chile and the region," highlighted Jimena Reyes, Director for the Americas of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).

According to information provided by the AFEP, the 14 cases in question left the following victims:

JUAN LUIS RIVERA MATUS: Of communist affiliation and a union leader, he had a wife and seven children. At 52 years old at the time of his kidnapping and subsequent disappearance on November 6, 1975, his body was found on March 13, 2001.

CARDENIO ANCACURA MANQUIÁN: Cardenio Ancacura was married and had four children. He was a farmer and also worked as a boatman. He was a militant of the Socialist Party and participated actively in the Agrarian Reform process.

TEÓFILO ZARAGOZO GONZÁLEZ CALFULEF: Teófilo González was 24 years old, married. He was a transporter and a militant of the Socialist Party.

MANUEL HERNÁNDEZ INOSTROZA: Manuel Hernández was 42 years old, married with four children. He was a tailor. He was a militant of the Socialist Party and had been a candidate for councilman for Lago Ranco.

ARTURO BENITO VEGA GONZÁLEZ: Arturo Vega was 20 years old, single. He worked as a bakery worker and transporter. He was a militant of the Socialist Party.

LUIS EVANGELISTA AGUAYO FERNÁNDEZ: Luis Aguayo, 21 years old, single. He worked as an inspector at the Night High School of Parral. He was a leader of the Socialist Youth. He was detained on September 14, 1973, and transferred to the Parral Public Prison.

On the 26th of the same month, along with three other detainees, he was removed from that place for the purpose of testifying before the Military Prosecutor's Office. His whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

MANUEL EDUARDO BASCUÑÁN ARAVENA: Manuel Bascuñán, 23 years old, single. He was a student and a militant of the Socialist Party of Parral. Detained on September 22, 1973, by Carabineros, he was transferred to the Parral Public Prison, where he remained incarcerated.

On October 23, 1973, by order of the Military Governor of Parral, he was transferred from this facility, along with other people, to the Military Prosecutor's Office. His whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

JOSÉ IGNACIO BUSTOS FUENTES: José Bustos was 52 years old, single. He was a merchant and carried out social activities in the rural environment; he was a militant of the Communist Party. On September 13, 1973, he presented himself voluntarily at the Parral Carabineros Station and was detained.

He was transferred to the Parral Public Prison that same day. On October 23, 1973, he was removed by a military patrol along with seven other detainees from that facility for the purpose of testifying before the Military Prosecutor's Office. His whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

ENRIQUE DEL ÁNGEL CARREÑO GONZÁLEZ: Enrique Carreño was 22 years old, single. An agronomy student at the University of Concepción. A militant of the Socialist Party. Detained by Carabineros on September 20, 1973, at his home in Parral.

From there, he was sent to the Parral Public Prison, where he was released on January 9, 1974. He was detained again by State agents and transferred to the Linares Artillery School. There is no information regarding his whereabouts since that date.

RAFAEL ALONSO DÍAZ MEZA: Rafael Díaz was 23 years old, single. A laborer. Detained by Carabineros on September 22, 1973, on a public street, he was transferred to the Public Prison. On October 23, 1973, by order of the Military Governor of Parral, he was transferred from this facility, along with other people, to the Military Prosecutor's Office. His whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

CLAUDIO JESÚS ESCANILLA ESCOBAR: Claudio Escanilla was 16 years old. He was a student and worked as a shoeshiner. On September 13, 1973, he was detained in the Parral plaza by a military patrol and handed over to the Parral Carabineros Station.

That same day, he entered the Public Prison. On October 23, 1973, he was removed by a military patrol along with seven other detainees from the Parral Public Prison for the purpose of testifying before the Military Prosecutor's Office. His whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

ROLANDO ANTONIO IBARRA LÓPEZ: Rolando Ibarra was 32 years old, married. No known political affiliation. He was a farmer. He was detained by the Parral Carabineros on October 25, 1974, when he presented himself at the station in compliance with a summons he had received.

Another person was detained along with him, who is also forcibly disappeared. Rolando Ibarra's whereabouts have been unknown since the date of his detention.

AROLDO VIVIAN LAURIE LUENGO: Aroldo Laurie, 30 years old, single. He worked as a traveling salesman. Apparently, he was linked to the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR). He was detained by the Parral Carabineros, along with a friend who is also forcibly disappeared, on July 28, 1974.

They were seen being taken under arrest into the local station. He was reportedly transferred to the Londres N° 38 facility in Santiago. Aroldo Laurie's whereabouts have been unknown since then.

IRENEO ALBERTO MÉNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ: Ireneo Méndez was 22 years old, single. A militant of the Socialist Party, he was unemployed. Detained at his home on September 20, 1973, by Carabineros from the Copihue station, who took him to the Parral Public Prison.

On October 23, 1973, by order of the Military Governor of Parral, he was transferred from this facility, along with other people, to the Military Prosecutor's Office. His whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

ARMANDO EDELMIRO MORALES MORALES: Armando Morales was 19 years old, single. He was in his fourth year of high school at the Parral Lyceum. A militant of the Socialist Party. On October 4, 1973, he went voluntarily to the Parral Station and was detained. He was transferred to the Parral Public Prison. His whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

JOSÉ LUIS MORALES RUIZ: José Morales was 21 years old, married, with one child. His spouse was eight months pregnant. He worked as a street vendor at open-air markets. A militant of the Communist Party. He was detained by the Parral Carabineros on August 1, 1974. José Morales's whereabouts have been unknown since the date of his detention.

AURELIO CLODOMIRO PEÑAILILLO SEPÚLVEDA: Aurelio Peñailillo was 32 years old, single. He was retired due to disability. Detained on September 16, 1973, in Copihue by Carabineros from the local station. Transferred to Parral, where he entered the Public Prison.

On the 26th of the same month, along with three other detainees, he was taken out of that place for the purpose of testifying before the Prosecutor's Office. His whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

LUIS ALCIDES PEREIRA HERNÁNDEZ: Luis Pereira was 31 years old and married. He had no known political affiliation. He worked as an agricultural laborer. Detained by Carabineros on October 25, 1974, when he presented himself voluntarily at the Parral Station. His whereabouts have been unknown since the date of his detention.

AROLDO ARMANDO PEREIRA MERIÑO: Aroldo Pereira was 49 years old, married. No known political affiliation. He worked as a farmer. He was detained by Carabineros on October 25, 1974, when he presented himself voluntarily at the Parral Station. His whereabouts have been unknown since the date of his detention.

OSCAR ABDÓN RETAMAL PÉREZ: Oscar Retamal was 19 years old, single. A high school student and militant of the Socialist Party. Detained on September 25, 1973, in Retiro by Carabineros from the local station.

The following day, he entered the Parral Public Prison. On October 23, 1973, by order of the Military Governor of Parral, he was transferred from this facility, along with other people, to the Military Prosecutor's Office. His whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

LUIS ENRIQUE RIVERA COFRÉ: Luis Rivera, 21 years old, married, two children, one of them posthumous. A militant of the Socialist Party. Detained by military personnel from the Linares Artillery School on October 5, 1973, at his home. They transferred him to the Parral Carabineros Station for the purpose of making a statement. There is no information regarding his whereabouts since that date.

JOSÉ HERNÁN RIVEROS CHÁVEZ: José Riveros, 27 years old at the time of his disappearance, single. He worked as a construction laborer. Detained at his home by the Parral Carabineros on October 12, 1973, and transferred to the local station. There is no information regarding his whereabouts since that date.

ROBERTO DEL CARMEN ROMERO MUÑOZ: Roberto Romero, 23 years old. He was single and worked as a laborer. In October 1973, he presented himself voluntarily at the Parral Carabineros Station and was detained.

He was transferred to the Public Prison. On October 23, 1973, he was removed from the prison along with six other detainees destined for the Military Prosecutor's Office, by order of the Military Governor of Parral. There is no information regarding his whereabouts since that date.

OSCAR ELADIO SALDÍAS DAZA: Oscar Saldías was 22 years old, single. He worked as a carpenter. A militant of the Socialist Party. He was detained at a relative's house on September 20, 1973, by Carabineros and transferred to the Public Prison.

On September 26, 1973, he left with other detainees to testify at the Parral Military Prosecutor's Office. Only one of the detainees returned. His whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

HERNÁN SARMIENTO SABATER: Hernán Sarmiento, 26 years old, single. A medical student at the University of Chile. A militant of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR). He was detained by the Parral Carabineros on July 28, 1974, along with a friend who was accompanying him, who is also forcibly disappeared.

They were seen being taken under arrest into the Parral Station. He was reportedly transferred to the Londres 38 facility in Santiago. Hernán Sarmiento's whereabouts have been unknown since then.

HUGO ENRIQUE SOTO CAMPOS: Hugo Soto, 18 years old, single. A third-year high school student at the Parral Night Lyceum. He worked during the day at a lumber yard. He was detained by the Parral Carabineros on a public street on September 13, 1973, and transferred to the Public Prison.

On the 26th of the same month, he was taken out of that facility, along with three other detainees, for the purpose of being placed at the disposal of the Parral Prosecutor's Office. He has been forcibly disappeared since that date.

RUPERTO ORIOL TORRES ARAVENA: Ruperto Torres was 58 years old at the time of the events, married, and had three children. A chemical engineer by profession, he worked as a farmer. He was detained by Carabineros from the Catillo station on October 13, 1973, when he went to sign in, an obligation he had had since his first detention. His whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

EDELMIRO ANTONIO VALDEZ SEPÚLVEDA: Edelmiro Valdez was 42 years old, married. No known political affiliation. He worked as an agricultural laborer. He was detained by the Parral Carabineros on October 25, 1974, when he presented himself voluntarily, complying with a summons he had received the previous day.

Another person was detained on that occasion, who is also forcibly disappeared. Edelmiro Valdez's whereabouts have been unknown since the date of his detention.

VÍCTOR JULIO VIVANCO VÁSQUEZ: Víctor Vivanco was 19 years old, single, a fourth-year high school student at a Parral Lyceum. He was a militant of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR). On October 8, 1973, he was detained by a military patrol at his home and transferred to the Investigations Headquarters, from where he was taken to the Parral Carabineros Station.

Víctor Vivanco's whereabouts have been unknown since that date.

NELSON CRISTIÁN ALMENDRAS ALMENDRAS: Nelson Almendras, 22 years old, married. He had worked as an agricultural laborer at the Canteras estate, Quilleco commune. He was a militant of the Communist Party.

JOSÉ RICARDO LÓPEZ LÓPEZ: José López, 32 years old, father of one child. He worked as an agricultural laborer at the Canteras estate, Quilleco commune. No known political affiliation.

JUAN DE LA CRUZ BRIONES PÉREZ: Juan Briones, 28 years old, was married and had four children. He worked as an agricultural laborer at the Canteras estate. No known political affiliation.

VICTORIANO LAGOS LAGOS: Victoriano Lagos, 35 years old, was married and had six children. He worked as an agricultural laborer at the Canteras estate. No known political affiliation.

CARMEN MARGARITA DÍAZ DARRICARRERE: Carmen Díaz, 24 years old, was single. She was studying nursing at the University of Chile, Temuco campus, and was a militant of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR).

EUGENIO IVÁN MONTTI CORDERO: Eugenio Montti, 29 years old, was married and had one child; he was a militant of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR) and a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from the State Technical University.

LUCIANO AEDO HIDALGO: Luciano, 37 years old, married and father of four children. He was a shoemaker and president of the Rural Supply Center. On October 11, 1973, in the early morning hours, a patrol from the Cunco station, moving in a police van, went to his home, where he was sleeping in the company of his wife and young daughter, from where they took him away as a detainee, without an order from a competent authority to justify it, transferring him to an unknown location.

His whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

FELIPE SEGUNDO RIVERA GAJARDO: Felipe Rivera, 42 years old, was married. An electrician. He worked at the General Treasury of the Republic. A militant of the Communist Party of Chile (PC). On September 8, 1986, at two in the morning, a group of heavily armed men surrounded his house in the Pudahuel commune, kidnapped him, and put him into a taxi headed for an unknown destination.

His body was found hours later in a vacant lot in a sector of Route 70, with multiple bullet wounds in his body.

GASTÓN FERNANDO VIDAURRÁZAGA MANRÍQUEZ: Gastón Vidaurrázaga, 30 years old, was married and father of one daughter. A state teacher in General Basic Education and a militant of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR).

On September 1986, at four o'clock, six heavily armed individuals broke into his home in the San Bernardo commune, kidnapping him and taking him to an unknown destination. His body was found with multiple bullet wounds at kilometer 15 of Route 5 South.

JOSÉ HUMBERTO CARRASCO TAPIA: José "Pepe" Carrasco, 43 years old, was married and a fath father of two children. A prominent journalist, international editor of the magazine Análisis, and national leader of the Journalists' Association.

A member of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR). On September 8, 1986, around five in the morning, three armed civilians arrived at his home and forcibly removed him in the presence of his family. Moments later, they riddled him with bullets. His body was found on the side of the Parque del Recuerdo Cemetery.

ABRAHAM MUSKATBLIT EIDELSTEIN: Abraham Muskatblit, 45, was married and a father of two. A publicist by profession, he was a member of the Communist Party of Chile (PC). On September 9, 1986, 12 armed individuals arrived at his home on the plot of land in the Casas Viejas sector of Las Vizcachas and forcibly removed him; shortly thereafter, they riddled him with bullets.

His body was found hours later in an irrigation canal on the road leading to Lonquén.

FÉLIX SANTIAGO DE LA JARA GOYENECHE: Félix was a member of the MIR and a History and Geography student at the Universidad de Chile. He was kidnapped at 24 years of age on a public street in the city of Santiago on November 27, 1974, by a DINA commando unit.

He was taken to the clandestine detention center known as "Venda Sexy," where he was tortured. Witnesses report that between December 18 and 24, 1974, he was removed from the center by his captors, and his whereabouts remain unknown.

CECILIA MIGUELINA BOJANIC ABAD: Cecilia Bojanic, 23 years old, was married, had one child, and was four months pregnant when she was kidnapped. She worked as a secretary at a pharmaceutical company. A member of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR).

FLAVIO ARQUÍMIDES OYARZÚN SOTO: Flavio Oyarzún, 27, was married and had one child. He was a sales representative for a company. A member of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR).

JOSÉ FÉLIX GARCÍA FRANCO: He was a medical student of Ecuadorian nationality. He presented himself voluntarily to the Carabineros unit in Temuco on September 13, 1973, after his home had previously been raided by Carabineros.

His wife brought him clothing and food at this facility daily until September 19 of that year, when authorities informed her that they had released him at 6:00 a.m. at a border crossing. It is noted that his whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

MARÍA ARRIAGADA JEREZ: María Arriagada was 25 years old, married, and had 6 children. She was a rural teacher and a member of the Communist Party. She was kidnapped on September 27, 1973, by officials of the Chilean Air Force (FACH) who arrived at her home, located at the Chilpaco rural school, in a helicopter.

She was then taken to Lonquimay, where she was held for three days at the Carabineros station, subsequently transferred to the Carabineros barracks in Curacautín, and then to the Maquehue Air Base in the city of Temuco, from where she disappeared.

JORGE AILLON LARA: Jorge Aillón was married, had three children, and was an employee of the Agricultural Trade Company. He lived in Lonquimay and was a member of the Communist Party. He was kidnapped by Carabineros from Lonquimay on September 11, 1973, and taken to the police station.

He was then moved to the Victoria jail, where he remained until September 27, 1973, the date on which he was released. That same day, upon arriving at the train station on his way home, he was detained by military personnel from the Lautaro Regiment, who handed him over to FACH personnel. He was taken to the Maquehue Air Base in Temuco, from where he disappeared.

MARCELO EDUARDO SALINAS EYTEL: Marcelo was 31 years old at the time of his disappearance at the hands of state agents. He was an electronics technician and was married to Jacqueline Paulette Drouilly Yurich, who was also a forcibly disappeared person.

Marcelo was kidnapped on October 31, 1974, in the city of Santiago, under circumstances where he had arranged to pick up his wife that day. Security agents had arrived at the meeting place on October 30 and kidnapped his wife; the following day, they kidnapped Marcelo and took him to the clandestine DINA facility known as "José Domingo Cañas" and subsequently to the "Villa Grimaldi" barracks, where he was interrogated and tortured.

He was later transferred along with his wife to the "Cuatro Álamos" center, from where all trace of him was lost.

GERARDO ANTONIO ENCINA PÉREZ: Gerardo was 33 years old at the time of his detention, married, with two children, and a member of the Socialist Party. A resident of the town of Melozal, located in the province of San Javier, he had been detained in September 1973 and placed at the disposal of the Military Prosecutor's Office, remaining on supervised release.

In the first days of October 1973, a police patrol arrived at his home looking for him, and upon not finding him, they left a summons for him to appear at the 5th Carabineros Precinct of San Javier. Upon receiving the message, he decided to go to the police unit with his wife, where he was detained.

It is noted that his wife waited for him all day and returned the following day without receiving any satisfactory explanation. Since then, all trace of him was lost. There are accounts maintaining that, ten or fifteen days later, relatives of other disappeared persons from the same locality requested permission from the military authority of the area to search the Loncomilla River in order to find the remains of their relatives.

During said search, they found the lifeless body of Gerardo Antonio Encina Pérez, bearing signs of gunshot wounds, which they were forced to return to the waters for fear of reprisals, as they only had authorization to recover the bodies of their own relatives.

MIGUEL ANTONIO FIGUEROA MERCADO: He was 46 years old at the time of his detention, married, with five children, and a member of the Communist Party. On the night of September 29, 1973, while he was at his home—which he occupied as a union leader of the Fundo Peñuelas settlement in the Villa Alegre commune—a patrol composed of about ten or twelve soldiers and a Carabinero who was the chief of the sector's station arrived and kidnapped him.

From that moment on, he has remained disappeared.

Source: resumen.cl 31/1/2023

Date: 01-31-2023

THE PRIDE OF BEING PARRALINO.

They sent "El Callín" to buy yeast and he never returned. His mother waited for him at the door until she died. She would say: "But how? He just went to buy something, how could he take so long?" and she would sit on her doorstep waiting for him.

El Callín was always a restless child; he liked to hang out with the older ones. They would gather in the plaza on the corner, paint graffiti in favor of Allende, or throw leaflets. At sixteen, he believed in the revolution.

His family—eight or nine siblings, children of peasants—never got involved in politics, but El Callín did. He worked shining shoes in the Plaza de Armas of Parral, where you can still see the shoeshine stands, although all of them disappeared.

Claudio Jesús Escanilla Escobar was his name, but everyone in Parral called him El Callín. On September 13, he was detained by a military patrol. He was with Nelson León and Emiliano Mena, but they were released days later.

The shoeshine boys in the plaza told Mrs. Julia, his mother, that the soldiers and the Carabineros sergeant Luis Hidalgo had detained him, and that, apparently, he was a prisoner at the Parral Police Station.

And indeed, on September 14, they transferred him to the jail, where Mrs. Julia was only allowed to leave him clothing and food, as they never permitted her to see him. Along with El Callín, thirty-three other people were detained, most of them young people who were not yet twenty-two years old.

Children of workers, peasants, poor people who, for one reason or another, were detained, taken to the Parral Police Station, and from whom nothing was ever heard again. From that time on, the idea circulated that they had been taken to Colonia Dignidad, the German enclave that operated with total impunity for decades in Chile and was directed by the former member of the Hitler Youth, Paul Shäffer.

The first to be detained was Luis Evangelista Aguayo Fernández, twenty years old; he was followed by Hugo Enrique Soto Campos, eighteen years old and a secondary school student. Also detained was AURELIO CLODOMIRO PEÑAILILLO SEPULVEDA, thirty-two years old and retired due to disability.

Also Oscar Eladio Saldías Daza, twenty years old, from a low-income family, who worked to care for his mother and a five-year-old niece they were raising. Also Enrique Ángel Carreño González, the only university student, who was released and then arrested, never to be heard from again.

Also José Ignacio Bustos Fuentes, fifty-two years old, a peasant who lived with his mother, who toured the military barracks of Linares and Talca, but no one ever saw him again. Also Rafael Alonso Díaz Meza, twenty-three; Irineo Alberto Méndez Hernández, twenty-two; Manuel Eduardo Bascuñán Aravena, twenty-three; Óscar Abdón Retamal Pérez, nineteen and a student; Roberto del Carmen Romero Muñoz, twenty-three and an agricultural worker.

In October, the following people disappeared: Armando Edelmiro Morales Morales, nineteen years old and a secondary school student. Luis Enrique Rivera Cofré, twenty-one years old, father of nine-month-old Vladimir Rivera Órdenes and of a child on the way who would also be named Luis.

Also disappeared were Víctor Julio Vivanco Vásquez, nineteen years old; and José Hernán Riveros Chávez, twenty-three. In Catillo, a community near Parral, Miguel Rojas Rojas and Gilberto Rojas Vásquez, father and son, were detained.

Also Ruperto Oriol Torres Aravena, fifty-eight years old, a peasant and father of three children who were left orphaned. Also Ramiro Romero González, twenty-eight years old, a peasant, married, with two children.

And Alfredo Durán Durán, forty-eight years old, who worked at the Civil Registry. The last cases of forcibly disappeared persons in Parral correspond to 1974, plus one woman murdered, Bella Aurora Sepúlveda Valenzuela.

These involved twelve men, eight of whom were linked to a singular repressive event known as the "El Águila" case. Among them were Aroldo Vivían Laurie Luengo and Hernán Sarmiento Sabater. The last detainees were José Luis Morales Ruiz, twenty-one years old, an artisan who had two children, and Juan Francisco Ponce González, for whom there is no record and who does not even appear in the Rettig Report.

For the majority of the detainees, except for those involved in the "El Águila" case, the name of Luis Hidalgo appears—a friendly gentleman who, until the day of his death, walked through the center of Parral with total impunity.

No one ever confronted him, out of fear, of course. He was not convicted, he did not set foot in jail, he did not repent, and it is most likely that for many, he is one of the most prominent figures of Parral.

When I asked Mrs. Julia why she went out every day to sit outside her house, she replied: "In case El Callín appears, so he knows this is his home." No one could ever get her to leave that spot until she died, waiting for the son who, on that fateful day, went out to buy yeast. Book: En el pueblo hay una casa pequeña y oscura. Author: Vladimir Rivera Órdenes (Parral, 1973)

Source: ruil.cl 30/08/2021

Date: 08-30-2021

MEMORIAL TO BE INAUGURATED FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES WHO WERE VICTIMS OF THE DICTATORSHIP

This Monday, September 8, the National Association of Public Employees (ANEF) will hold a ceremony to inaugurate a memorial in honor of public officials who were forcibly disappeared and killed during the dictatorship.

The tribute will be attended by government authorities, social organizations, and human rights organizations. "This is done with all the respect that preserving the memory of our country holds for us as an association.

On this occasion, we want to immortalize our officials and leaders, who also bequeathed to us their ethics and union struggle and who were murdered in the worst period of our history. And in remembering our fallen comrades, we also make a call for life and peace," commented the general secretary of ANEF, Bernardo Jorquera.

Joining the ANEF leaders who announced the memorial was Deputy Tucapel Jiménez—son of the ANEF union leader of the same name, who was murdered by Army agents in 1982—as well as the leader of the Association of Relatives of Political Executions, Alicia Lira.

There are more than 380 cases that will appear on a plaque at the ANEF headquarters, which will be inaugurated on Monday, September 8, at 11:00 a.m. The list was provided to the union by the Ministry of the Interior, and includes President Salvador Allende Gossens and Tucapel Jiménez. "This inauguration dignifies the working class and the union movements," said Alicia Lira, who is the widow of a Treasury official murdered in the first days after the Coup d'État. "These acts of keeping memory alive, remembering the fallen, are important because memory is fragile and it is good to keep it alive.

We want young people to never again live through that dark history that we went through as a country, and that is why it is important to remember the fallen and seek truth and justice, with the purpose that these things never happen again," affirmed Deputy Jiménez.

Source: cronicadigital.cl 5/9/2014

Date: 09-05-2014

Sentences reclassified for former military personnel involved in Parral crimes

The Third Chamber of the Santiago Court of Appeals reclassified, in the second instance, the sentences handed down by the special judge Alejandro Solís against three uniformed officers accused of the aggravated kidnapping of 21 dissidents to the military regime, in events that took place in Parral between September 1973 and January 1974, which include a case of child abduction.

On August 6, 2003, Judge Solís sentenced the former governor and retired Carabineros Colonel Pablo Caullier Grant, retired Army Commander Hugo Cardemil Valenzuela, and retired Carabineros non-commissioned officer Luis Hidalgo to prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years.

In a split vote (2-1), the capital's appellate court, composed of judges Alejandro Madrid, Juan Muñoz Pardo, and Humberto Provoste, resolved to increase the punishment imposed on Hidalgo from seven to ten years and one day; maintain the ten-year prison sentence for Caulier; and decrease the sentence for Cardemil Valenzuela from 17 years to 15 years and one day of presidio mayor.

The investigation initiated at the beginning of this decade by retired judge Juan Guzmán Tapia made it possible to determine the responsibility of the accused in the disappearances of Enrique Carreño González, Rolando Ibarra Ortega, Edelmiro Valdés Sepúlveda, Haroldo Laurie Luengo, Hernán Sarmiento Sabater, Armando Morales Morales, José Luis Morales Ruiz, Aurelio Peñailillo Sepúlveda, Luis Pereira Hernández, Armando Pereira Merino, Oscar Retamal Pérez, José Riveros Chávez, Enrique Rivera Cofré, Hugo Soto Campos, and Víctor Vivanco Vásquez.

All were detained between September 11, 1973, and 1974 in Parral, taken to the police station and the city jail, but in several cases, their trail was lost after they were placed at the disposal of the Military Prosecutor's Office of the area.

In some of the cases, their relatives have stated that there is evidence that they were taken to Colonia Dignidad. Of them, Carreño González, Morales Morales, Peñailillo Sepúlveda, Retamal Pérez, Riveros Chávez, and Soto Campos appear in the report of the Armed Forces issued by the Dialogue Table on human rights as having been thrown into the Putagán River.

Originally, this process began in Parral following the 1991 Rettig Report; it was later taken up by the judge of the Seventh Criminal Court of Santiago, Lientur Escobar, who was investigating the disappearance at Villa Baviera of the MIR militant Álvaro Vallejos Villagrán.

Source: LA NACIÓN - June 16, 2005

Date: 06-16-2005

Judge Guzmán prosecutes three retired officers

The magistrate brought charges as perpetrators of the crime of aggravated kidnapping of 15 forcibly disappeared persons against the former governors of Parral, retired Army Colonel Hugo Cardemil Valenzuela and Carabineros Colonel Pablo Caulier Grant, as well as Carabineros non-commissioned officer Luis Alberto Hidalgo.

These are the first prosecutions since the definitive dismissal of Augusto Pinochet, issued yesterday by investigating judge Juan Guzmán, marking the line the magistrate will follow of not declaring himself incompetent to continue hearing the various cases accumulated in his hands, despite the definitive dismissal of the former Army chief.

Judge Guzmán brought charges as perpetrators of the crime of aggravated kidnapping of fifteen forcibly disappeared persons against the former governors of Parral, retired Army Colonel Hugo Cardemil Valenzuela and Carabineros Colonel Pablo Caulier Grant, as well as Carabineros non-commissioned officer Luis Alberto Hidalgo.

The magistrate is also working on new prosecutions for other cases he is investigating, which he is expected to issue in the coming days. The indictments were issued for the kidnapping and disappearance of: Enrique Carreño González, Rolando Ibarra Ortega, Edelmiro Valdés Sepúlveda, Haroldo Laurie Luengo, Hernán Sarmiento Sabater, Armando Morales Morales, José Luis Morales Ruiz, Aurelio Peñailillo Sepúlveda, Luis Pereira Hernández, Armando Pereira Merino, Oscar Retamal Pérez, José Riveros Chávez, Enrique Rivera Cofré, Hugo Soto Campos, and Víctor Vivanco Vásquez.

All were detained between September 11, 1973, and 1974 in Parral, taken to the police station and the city jail, but in several cases, their trail was lost after they were placed at the disposal of the Military Prosecutor's Office of the area.

In some of the cases, their relatives have stated that there is evidence that they were taken to Colonia Dignidad, 40 kilometers east of Parral. Of them, Carreño González, Morales Morales, Peñailillo Sepúlveda, Retamal Pérez, Riveros Chávez, and Soto Campos appear in the report of the Armed Forces issued by the Dialogue Table on human rights as having been thrown into the Putagán River.

The magistrate issued these new indictments immediately after returning last Monday from medical leave, which began on Monday, July 1, the date on which the Second Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court issued the ruling that definitively dismissed Augusto Pinochet from the Caravan of Death case due to "mental incapacity" caused by "incurable vascular dementia." Originally, this investigation began in Parral following the 1991 Rettig Report; it was later taken up by the judge of the Seventh Criminal Court of Santiago, Lientur Escobar, who was investigating the disappearance at Colonia Dignidad of the MIR militant Álvaro Vallejos Villagrán. After multiple procedural shifts, the case reached the military justice system, from where it was rescued by lawyers from Codepu and ended up accumulated in the hands of Judge Guzmán. Plaintiff lawyer Julia Urquieta stated that "finally, justice is being done for the victims and the relatives of Parral. Several of the disappeared from Parral ended up in Colonia Dignidad," the lawyer said. Although these disappearances occurred in Parral before the DINA barracks began operating there in 1975, in the initial investigations, the head of the DINA Southern Brigade, Colonel Fernando Gómez Segovia, was implicated.

Source: PRIMERA LÍNEA - July 10, 2002

Date: 07-10-2002

AURELIO CLODOMIRO PEÑAILILLO SEPÚLVEDA.

A 32-year-old worker, single, with no political affiliation, retired due to disability because of a hip injury. Aurelio limped noticeably and needed help getting dressed. He was detained in Copihue on September 16, 1973, while passing in front of the Carabineros station, and was taken to the Parral jail.

A teacher had allegedly denounced several of his friends, so he already feared being detained. On September 26, he was handed over to Army personnel, and since that day, he has been missing. In a report from the Armed Forces issued by the Dialogue Table on Human Rights, it is indicated that his body was thrown into the Putagán River.

The teacher who denounced him went to ask his family for forgiveness shortly after his detention.

Source: nucleodisca.cl 11/9/2023