The following individuals were victims of political execution:

Carlos Rodolfo ADLER ZULUETA, 25 years old, an Argentine national residing in Chile since March 1973. It is unknown if he had any political affiliation.

Beatriz Elena DIAZ AGUERO, 26 years old, an Argentine national residing in Chile since March 1973. She was pregnant.

Víctor Alejandro GARRETON ROMERO, 60 years old, an importer and member of the Partido Nacional.

Ricardo Cristián MONTECINOS SLAUGHTER, 27 years old, married, an official at the International Monetary Fund.

Julio Andrés SAA PIZARRO, 37 years old, a dental surgeon.

Jorge Miguel SALAS PARADISI, 25 years old, a student of Mathematics Education at the Universidad de Chile, Valparaíso campus, who at the time was living in Santiago while undergoing medical treatment that required him to remain in bed for very long periods.

The individuals identified above were detained in the early hours of October 16, 1973, by personnel from the Ejército Non-Commissioned Officers School in Santiago, at Tower No. 12 of the Remodelación San Borja. None of them were linked to one another, with the exception of the first two, who were a married couple.

The detention occurred as a result of a denunciation made by telephone by a neighbor in the building, a fact that has been duly substantiated by testimony provided to this Commission.

The detainees were temporarily taken to a house located at Calle Londres No. 38 (a site later used by the DINA as a detention center). They were subsequently taken to the Casa de la Cultura de Barrancas, a facility located in the commune of the same name, under the control of Ejército personnel. They were seen at this location.

The lifeless bodies of each of the detainees were found on October 17, 1973, on the highway connecting Santiago to Valparaíso at kilometer 12, near the Lo Prado tunnel. They were then taken to the Legal Medical Institute, as stated in all death certificates and autopsy reports.

The cause of death in all cases was "multiple gunshot wounds," as also noted in the death certificates and autopsy reports.

Immediately following the events, at the request of the father of one of the victims, Carlos Garretón, an internal summary investigation was initiated within the Ejército, which concluded that it had been a "military error." This was communicated to the families, and the Ejército proceeded to offer "the condolences of the Government Junta for this great military error."

In the response provided to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Government of Chile reported that the six detainees, at approximately 05:00 hours on October 17, 1973, "taking advantage of the precarious conditions of the building, escaped through a window that lacked security bars, running toward a wall that encloses the premises and faces some peripheral neighborhoods.

While fleeing, they were surprised by the sentries of the barracks, who ordered them to stop, shouting the required warnings and firing warning shots into the air." The report provided by the Military Government continues, stating that "despite this, the detainees continued their flight, at which point the guards on duty fired at their bodies, causing their deaths." The official response concludes by stating that "subsequently, the bodies of the six detainees were transported in a pickup truck to the vicinity of the Lo Prado Tunnel, where the Ejército field hospital was located, where they were handed over and transported in an ambulance from the same hospital to the Legal Medical Institute, where the required autopsies were performed."

The Commission has dismissed the official version provided by the Government of Chile, primarily for the following reasons:

– The two versions transcribed—the Ejército summary and the official government response—are contradictory. – It is impossible to believe that these individuals conspired to escape, as there was no connection between them other than living in the same building.

Furthermore, it must be considered that among the detainees were a pregnant woman and a young man undergoing medical treatment who remained in a lethargic state, making it improbable that he would have had the strength to attempt to jump over a wall as the version indicates. – It makes no sense that after having wounded them, they would have been transported to another location, the Lo Prado tunnel, situated 12 kilometers away from the scene of the events. – Finally, the version of an attempted escape is common to several other executions that were carried out by personnel stationed at the Casa de la Cultura de Barrancas.

For the reasons already indicated regarding the official version and the facts it has been able to substantiate, the Commission is convinced that Carlos Rodolfo Adler, Beatriz Elena Díaz, Víctor Alejandro Garretón, Cristián Montecinos, Julio Andrés Saa, and Jorge Miguel Salas were executed outside of all legality or justification by State agents, who violated their right to life.