The minister on special assignment for human rights violation cases for the courts of appeal of Arica, Iquique, Antofagasta, Copiapó, and La Serena, Vicente Hormazábal Abarzúa, sentenced three retired officers of the Policía de Investigaciones for their responsibility in the qualified homicides of René Paredes Cortínez and Vindo Fidel Valdés Morales, which occurred on October 7, 1973, in the commune of Tocopilla.

In the ruling (case file 1-2011), the magistrate sentenced Osvaldo Carmona Otero, Sergio Méndez Henríquez, and Ricardo Jilberto Gómez Centella to 15 years and one day of imprisonment for their responsibility in the aforementioned crimes.

He also imposed the accessory penalties of absolute perpetual disqualification from public offices and political rights, absolute disqualification from holding professional titles for the duration of the sentence, and the payment of court costs.

The minister on special assignment acquitted the accused Luciano Astete Almendras in this case. During the investigation phase of the case, Minister Hormazábal Abarzúa was able to establish the following facts: “A.- That the victims Vindo Fidel Valdés Morales and René Paredes Cortínez were detained on October 6, 1973, by personnel from the Tocopilla Inspectorate and were taken to the police station located at the intersection of Calle Arturo Prat and Calle Sargento Aldea in the city of Tocopilla.

B.- That the victims remained inside the Tocopilla Inspectorate until October 7, 1973, and during the night of that day, the officers of said Inspectorate killed them with multiple gunshot wounds, more than 30 each.

C.- That, subsequently, they were taken to the Tocopilla Hospital, with some of the perpetrators indicating that they were forced to fire because the victims had attempted to flee, violating curfew regulations.

At that location, the physician Horacio Castillo Hidalgo certified the death of the victims, detailing that the cause of death for René Paredes Cortínez was 'pleuro-pulmonary flooding from multiple penetrating gunshot wounds,' while the cause of death for Vindo Valdés Morales was 'cardiac rupture, multiple gunshot wounds.'”

Source: Judiciary, July 6, 2021

Supreme Court confirms sentences of three former PDI officers for the crime against two workers in Tocopilla in 1973

The Supreme Court rejected the appeals for annulment filed by the defense of the accused against the sentence that convicted three former members of the Policía de Investigaciones (PDI) for their responsibility in the consummated crimes of qualified homicide of René Paredes Cortínez and Lino Fidel Valdés Morales, perpetrated in October 1973 at the Tocopilla police station.

In a unanimous ruling (case file 12.540-2022), the Second Chamber of the high court—composed of ministers Manuel Antonio Valderrama, Leopoldo Llanos, minister María Teresa Letelier, minister Jean Pierre Matus, and attorney (i) Pía Tavolari—ruled out any error in the challenged sentence, issued by the Court of Appeals of La Serena, which confirmed the first-instance ruling that sentenced the former detectives Osvaldo Carmona Otero, Sergio Leonardo Méndez Henríquez, and Ricardo Jilberto Gómez Centella to 15 years and one day of imprisonment, as authors of the crimes, and ordered them to pay court costs. During the investigation phase of the case, Minister Vicente Hormazábal Abarzúa was able to establish that the victims, Lino Fidel Valdés Morales, 24 years old, and René Paredes Cortínez, 21 years old, a street vendor, both members of the Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria (MIR), were detained by personnel from the Tocopilla Policía de Investigaciones on October 6, 1973. The detention took place at the home of Paredes Cortínez, and they were immediately taken to the police station located at the intersection of Calle Arturo Prat and Calle Sargento Aldea in the city of Tocopilla. The young detainees remained inside the Tocopilla Inspectorate until October 7, 1973, and during the night of that day, the officers of said Inspectorate killed them with multiple gunshot wounds, more than 30 each. Subsequently, the bodies were taken to the Tocopilla Hospital, with some of the perpetrators indicating that they were forced to fire because the victims had attempted to flee, violating curfew regulations. At the hospital facility, a physician certified the death of the victims, detailing that the cause of death for both individuals was the result of multiple penetrating gunshot wounds. by Darío Núñez

Source: resumen.cl, June 22, 2024