On October 17, 1973, the following individuals were victims of political executions:

Carlos Rodolfo ADLER ZULUETA, 25 years old, Argentine, resident in Chile since March 1973. It is unknown if he had any political affiliation.

Beatriz Elena DIAZ AGUERO, 26 years old, Argentine, resident in Chile since March 1973. She was pregnant.

Víctor Alejandro GARRETON ROMERO, 60 years old, importer, member of the Partido Nacional.

Ricardo Cristián MONTECINOS SLAUGHTER, 27 years old, married, employee of the International Monetary Fund.

Julio Andrés SAA PIZARRO, 37 years old, dental surgeon.

Jorge Miguel SALAS PARADISI, 25 years old, student of Mathematics Pedagogy at the Universidad de Chile, Valparaíso branch, who at the time was living in Santiago, undergoing medical treatment that required him to remain in bed for very long periods.

The individuals identified above were detained in the early hours of October 16, 1973, by personnel from the Ejército Non-Commissioned Officers School of Santiago, at Tower No. 12 of the Remodelación San Borja. None of them were linked to one another, except for the first two, who were a married couple.

The detention occurred as a result of a denunciation made by telephone by a neighbor in the tower, a fact that has been duly verified by testimony provided to this Commission.

The detainees were temporarily transferred to a house located at Calle Londres No. 38 (a site later used by the DINA as a detention center). They were then transferred to the Casa de la Cultura de Barrancas, a facility located in the commune of the same name, under the charge of Ejército personnel. They were seen at this location.

The lifeless bodies of each of the detainees were found on October 17, 1973, on the highway connecting Santiago to Valparaíso at kilometer 12, near the Lo Prado tunnel. They were transported to the Legal Medical Institute, as stated in all death certificates and autopsy protocols.

The cause of death in all cases was "multiple gunshot wounds," as also noted in the death certificates and autopsy protocols.

Immediately after the events, at the request of the father of one of the victims, Carlos Garretón, an internal summary investigation was initiated within the Ejército, which concluded that it had been "a military error." This was communicated to the families, and the Ejército proceeded to present "the condolences of the Government Junta for this great military error."

In the response provided to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Government of Chile reported that the six detainees, around 05:00 hours on October 17, 1973, "taking advantage of the precarious conditions of the building, escaped through a window that lacked protections, running toward a wall that encloses the compound and faces some peripheral neighborhoods.

While they were fleeing, they were surprised by the sentries of the barracks, who ordered them to stop, giving the required warnings and firing warning shots into the air." The report provided by the Military Government continues, stating that "despite this, the detainees continued their escape, at which point the guards on duty fired at their bodies, causing their deaths." The official response concludes by stating that "subsequently, the bodies of the six detainees were taken in a truck to the vicinity of the Lo Prado Tunnel, where the Ejército field hospital was located, where they were handed over and transported in an ambulance from the same hospital to the Legal Medical Institute, where the required autopsies were performed."

The Commission has dismissed the official version provided by the Government of Chile, especially for the following reasons:

– The two versions transcribed—the Ejército summary and the official government response—are contradictory. – It is impossible to believe that these individuals conspired to escape, as there was no connection between them, other than living in the same building.

Furthermore, it is necessary to consider that among the detainees was a pregnant woman and a young man undergoing medical treatment who remained in a lethargic state, making it improbable that he had the strength to attempt to jump over a wall as the version indicates. – It makes no sense that after having wounded them, they would have been transported to another location, the Lo Prado tunnel, located 12 kilometers away from the scene of the events. – Finally, the version of an attempted escape is common to several other executions that were carried out by personnel stationed at the Casa de la Cultura de Barrancas.

The Commission, for the reasons already indicated regarding the official version and the facts it has been able to verify, has formed the conviction that Carlos Rodolfo Adler, Beatriz Elena Díaz, Víctor Alejandro Garretón, Cristián Montecinos, Julio Andrés Saa, and Jorge Miguel Salas were executed outside of all legality or justification by State agents, who violated their right to life.