On December 3, 1974, MIR militants Gregorio PALMA DONOSO, arrested in Santiago on a public street, and Edgardo Orlando LOYOLA CID, arrested at his home in Maipú, were detained by unidentified plainclothes agents.

Both detainees were forcibly disappeared, and there is no information regarding the detention centers to which they were taken by their captors. The Commission considers that the evidence regarding both arrests is sufficient to reach the conviction that Gregorio Palma and Edgardo Loyola were forcibly disappeared through the actions of State agents, in violation of their human rights.

Source: (Rettig Report)

On Saturday, May 19, 2012, as scheduled, the long-awaited Memorial for the Forcibly Disappeared and Political Executions of Maipú was inaugurated. The ceremony was attended by the families of the victims to whom this tribute is paid, which will remain from this date forward in a physical space in the Plaza de Maipú and, most importantly, in the memory of the generations who will be able to visit it.

The Mayor of Maipú, Alberto Undurraga, led this emotional ceremony alongside the president of the Association of Relatives of the Forcibly Disappeared, Lorena Pizarro, members of the Maipú municipal council, and other political and religious authorities, in an atmosphere of reflection and hope that was conveyed in almost all the speeches given by the speakers on this occasion.

In part of his speech, Mayor Undurraga highlighted that: “The 68 men and women of Maipú whom we honor today tell us that history is for honoring, but also for learning, because we must never again repeat the human rights abuses in the history of Chile, for which we also demand truth and justice.” “The inauguration of the memorial in the Plaza de Maipú has a special meaning, as it is a space for citizen encounter between the past and the future.

We do it here and not in another place. This Memorial is more than a piece of communal infrastructure; it is a symbol that reminds those of today and those of tomorrow of the value of life. It is a permanent reminder of how we must build the future of Chile and that of Maipú.” At the end of the ceremony, we consulted councilman and professor Carlos Jara, who was a tenacious promoter of this work alongside local leaders and authorities, about his feelings upon attending this inauguration, knowing his special work and dedication to making this tribute—a pending debt of Maipú—a reality.

Regarding this, Councilman Jara noted: “This is a work for the present time, to remember the men and women of Maipú who left us one day in a cruel and unjust way. Their names are here, and in our conscience and hearts, a deep feeling must remain engraved to never falter in the defense of and respect for human rights.” He added, “This memorial is a reunion with historical memory; it is to feel once again the tremendous pain for the suffering of so many compatriots, but it is at the same time to look toward the future and build paths to understand one another and learn to value our own truths and those of others, to be tolerant and avoid excesses, always seeking and imposing dialogue over confrontation and peace over violence.” The Memorial for the Forcibly Disappeared and Political Executions of Maipú is a construction made of rusted steel plates. According to the architectural proposal of its creator, architect Rubén Peralta, the plates are eroded by time, just like our history. They are illuminated from inside the Memorial, lighting up the names of the martyrs while light shines through the slots, replicating the effect of stars in the sky of Maipú. On the list of the 68 men and women of Maipú who receive tribute at the memorial is:

EDGARDO ORLANDO LOYOLA CID

forcibly disappeared on 12/3/1974

Source: labatalla.cl 5/22/2012

Date: 05-22-2012

Testimonies, photographs, letters, and other documents that families and friends provided or wrote specifically to be published are incorporated into the book “Breaking the Silence of Children and Adolescents Subjected to Political Executions During the Civil-Military Dictatorship 1973-1990,” which was produced by the Association of Relatives of Political Executions (AFEP) with the support of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, through the Culture, Memory, and Human Rights Unit, and the Human Rights Chair of the University of Chile.

The publication, based primarily on the Report of the National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation (1991) and the Report of the National Commission for Reparation and Reconciliation (1996), seeks to reconstruct each of the lives and stories of the victims in a comprehensive and careful manner.

During the research, access was granted to the archive of the Association of Relatives of Political Executions, where documents that families have preserved over the years are kept. Illustrations by Álvaro Gómez were also included. The creation process was a complex challenge that involved combining delicacy, respect, and methodological rigor to state a painful and unavoidable truth in this work.

Source: cultura.gobierno.cl 4/20/2023

Date: 04-20-2023