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Guillermo Amador Álvarez Cañas

Estibador — 49 years old.

Background

StatusValech-Rettig Commission Violation of Human Rights
DateSeptember 22, 1973
Locationsan Antonio, V Valparaíso
Age49 years old
OccupationEstibador
AffiliationDC

Case summary

Guillermo Amador Álvarez Cañas, a 49-year-old stevedore and president of the San Antonio Stevedores Union, was executed by Army personnel on September 22, 1973, in the Atalaya sector. Although the official version alleged an attempted escape during his transfer to the Bucalemu prisoner camp, the Truth Commission rejected this account, classifying the event as a grave human rights violation.

Automatically generated summary. Please consult the original sources below for verified information.

Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos[1]

On September 22, 1973, the following individuals were executed by Ejército personnel in the Atalaya sector, on the road between San Antonio and Bucalemu:

-Raúl Enrique BACCIARINI ZORRILLA, 49, Regional Secretary of the Partido Socialista in San Antonio.

-Héctor ROJO ALFARO, 43, national leader of the Stevedores Union, Secretary of Comach and the International Transport Workers' Federation, and a member of the Partido Comunista.

-Samuel NUÑEZ GONZALEZ, 49, leader of the San Antonio Stevedores and a member of the Partido Socialista.

-Armando JIMENEZ MACHUCA, 38, Director of the Stevedores Union and a member of the Partido Socialista.

-Guillermo ALVAREZ CAÑAS, 49, President of the San Antonio Stevedores Union and a member of the Partido Demócrata Cristiano.

-Fidel Alfonso BRAVO ALVAREZ, 22, laborer and a member of the Partido Socialista.

According to the official version issued by the Chief of the State of Siege Zone of the Province of San Antonio and Commander of the Tejas Verdes Military Engineering School, contained in Communiqué No. 26, the detainees: "were being transported from San Antonio to the Bucalemu prisoner camp, and due to a mechanical failure of the vehicle transporting them, they attempted to escape, being subdued by the weapons of the patrol guarding them." The official version further stated that the victims, who were labeled as extremists, were being taken to Bucalemu due to their high level of danger, and that in the case of the four stevedore leaders, it was claimed they had attempted to paralyze the port of San Antonio by inciting the rest of the workers to disobey the orders of the port administrator, who was acting in compliance with the provisions of the State of Siege Zone command.

Having analyzed the gathered evidence, the Commission rejects the official version, given the following circumstances:

-It is implausible that all of those affected, without exception, had to be killed to prevent their alleged escape attempt, considering they were unarmed and under heavy military guard.

-There is no record that a detention camp existed in Bucalemu in September 1973, and therefore the route taken by the patrol is not justified.

-Raúl Bacciarini Zorrilla was in deplorable physical condition, with multiple credible testimonies stating that both of his knees were broken, which prevented him from moving on his own. For his part, Alvarez Cañas had undergone major surgery shortly before his arrest and was in very delicate health, making it highly unlikely that he would have been in a condition to attempt an escape.

-The bodies of the six victims arrived at the Morgue almost destroyed by stab wounds; the bullet impacts they presented had been inflicted post-mortem while the victims' bodies were on the ground. The autopsy protocols could not be found. The person who witnessed the state of the bodies was arrested and taken to Camp No. 2.

-The death certificates indicate the place of death as the Atalaya estate, on the road to Navidad, San Antonio. Jorge Cornejo Carvajal and Patricio del Carmen Rojas González were executed by firing squad at that same location on November 18, as recorded in the death certificates of both victims.

-The absence of any judicial or internal investigation by the branch of the armed forces involved regarding these events.

Therefore, this Commission is convinced that Raúl Bacciarini, Héctor Rojo, Samuel Nuñez, Armando Jimenez, Guillermo Alvarez, and Fidel Bravo were executed outside of any legal process by State agents who violated their human rights.

View original source

Judicial Case Files[2]

Armando Jiménez Machuca, Samuel Núñez González, Guillermo Álvarez Cañas, Héctor Rojo Alfaro, Raúl Bacciarini, Fidel Bravo Álvarez

Politically Executed
Judge/Minister
  • Joaquin Billard
Case roles
  • 2182-98
  • 3947-2008
  • 8311-2009
Region
  • Valparaiso
Detention Centers
  • Tejas Verdes
Convicted in this case
  • David Miranda Monardes
  • Manuel Contreras Sepulveda

References

  1. 1
  2. 2

How to cite this record

DondeEstan.cl (2026). Guillermo Amador Álvarez Cañas. Retrieved on June 4, 2026, from https://dondeestan.cl/record/guillermo-amador-alvarez-canas. Original sources: Museum of Memory (https://interactivos.museodelamemoria.cl/victims/?p=201), Judicial Case Files (https://expedientesdelarepresion.cl/causa/armando-jimenez-machuca-samuel-nunez-gonzalez-guillermo-alvarez-canas-hector-rojo-alfaro-raul-bacciarini-fidel-bravo-alvarez/).