On September 16, 1973, Jorge Manuel VASQUEZ MATAMALA, 52 years old, a union leader, Governor of Elqui, and member of the Movimiento de Acción Popular Unitaria (MAPU), was killed by a Carabineros patrol from Vicuña.

The victim had been summoned by official decree to present himself to the authorities in the area, days after he had handed over his position as governor. He attempted to flee toward Argentina, reaching the hamlet of Matancillas, in the town of Rivadavia, where he was found by a Carabineros patrol.

The police entered the home where Jorge Vásquez was staying; numerous witnesses stated that they could hear shouts, blows, and gunshots, and saw him being taken from the premises. His body was delivered to his family several days after the incident in a sealed coffin, allowing for his burial in private and under police custody.

The official version, which appeared in the local press, stated that "the MAPU member Jorge Vásquez was killed while resisting and disobeying three times the intimidation issued by the forces of order."

The Commission formed the conviction that Jorge Vásquez was executed by State agents and that, therefore, this constitutes a case of human rights violation, based on the following:

– Existence of credible witnesses who attest that there was no confrontation. – Death certificate which indicates the cause of death as: "Hypovolemic shock, hemoperitoneum, and hepatic rupture," which indicates that the death was the result of violent blows and not gunshots, as the official version had claimed.