General (ret.) Parera admitted that people were detained in Peldehue

General (ret.) Carlos Parera Silva acknowledged before Judge Sergio Muñoz that the Paratrooper School in Peldehue was a detention site and that forcibly disappeared persons passed through there. Parera also reportedly assumed his command responsibility in the case of the seven former Army "Black Berets" who were discharged in 1970 after being accused of having ties to the PS and the MIR.

It was following this statement that Judge Muñoz decided to allow him to remain at liberty, contrary to what occurred with General (ret.) Patricio Acevedo, who was detained on Friday, and with Brigadier Rafael Sánchez Vera, Colonel Renato Alarcón Carrasco, Major Carlos Saravia Vera, Sergeant Major Domingo Rosario Cortés, and Sergeants Fidel Segovia Rojas and Hernán Arancibia Rosas.

All of them were held incommunicado.

Parera Silva is currently detained at the Military Police Battalion (BPM) awaiting the judge's decision regarding his procedural status this week. In 1973, General (ret.) Parera was third in the chain of command at the facility.

The second in command was General Rodrigo Sánchez Casillas, who was interrogated by Muñoz and released. The Paratrooper School was under the command of General Alejandro Medina Lois, who stated that he would testify on Wednesday or Thursday. Yesterday, Alejandro Medina Lois went to the BPM and visited Carlos Parera to "give him moral support."

The retired general told El Mercurio: "It is a duty as a friend, as his former superior, in a situation in which he is being treated unjustly." The general (ret.) asserted that he had not spoken about the statements given by Parera to the judge. -Why was he allowed to remain at liberty? "That is within the judge's powers: whether or not he needs to apply pressure.

But the pressure is quite sinister, because it is psychological, to see if they change their statements or provide something they did not give before. It may be that, seeing General Parera as he is, he knew he would get nothing.

But I am generalizing; I have no evidence." -Was the School a detention center? "Never. It was never a detention center, much less a torture center, which is what is in fashion. We were involved in something much more important: this unit was the reserve for the Commander-in-Chief of the Army; it depended on my General Pinochet.

Among other tasks that were permanent was the security of him and his family. Also participating in special anti-guerrilla brigade operations, developing anti-guerrilla unit commander courses, and the possibility of border conflict."

Source: El Mercurio, November 28, 2004