On September 15, 1975, in the same city of Curicó, CUT leader Luis Hernán TREJO SAAVEDRA was detained. The Military Prosecutor's Office of that city acknowledged the detention of the affected individual, stating that he had been placed at the disposal of the authorities in Santiago; however, his whereabouts remain unknown to this date.

The Commission is convinced that his disappearance was the work of State agents, who thereby violated his human rights.

Repressive Status : Municipal Workers' Union Leader and CUT leader of Curicó. No known political affiliation Date of Detention : September 15, 1975

REPRESSIVE SITUATION

Luis Hernán Trejo, married, 1 child, municipal worker, and union leader, was detained at his home in the city of Curicó on September 15, 1975, at approximately 11:15 p.m., by three civilians belonging to the DINA who did not identify themselves and, without providing any explanation to the family, took him away in a gray pickup truck.

Witnesses to the detention were his spouse, Sofía Jara Martínez, and his 14-year-old nephew, Hernán Pizarro Trejo. The following day, his wife went to the Telecommunications Regiment of Curicó, where she was informed that Luis Trejo had been detained by DINA personnel from Santiago and transported by them to the capital.

In Santiago, he was admitted to the DINA facility known as Cuatro Alamos, where he was seen until October 24 of that year by Luis Rivera Rivera. On October 20, 1975, the Military Prosecutor's Office of Curicó gave his spouse a "brief communication," signed by the Secretary of that Military Tribunal, Ernesto O'Ryan, which stated that the affected individual was "detained and placed at the disposal of the authorities in Santiago.

Reason: To expand investigations." On September 12, 1975, the leader of the Ranquil Peasant Confederation, Luis Vega Ramírez, was also detained under circumstances similar to those of Trejo Saavedra and remains forcibly disappeared, just like the victim in this case.

During those same days, other union leaders from the area were detained and transferred to Cuatro Alamos in Santiago. All of them were later released. It should be noted that Luis Trejo had been summoned on two occasions, subsequent to September 11, 1973, to report to the Curicó Regiment.

At that time, he was warned not to participate in political activities. To date, the fate or whereabouts of the victim remain unknown.

JUDICIAL AND/OR ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS

On November 11, 1975, a writ of amparo (habeas corpus) was filed on his behalf before the Santiago Court of Appeals, case file 1505-75, after the Military Prosecutor's Office of Curicó reported—in the aforementioned "brief communication"—that the victim had been transferred to Santiago.

The Court resolved to issue an official request to the Minister of the Interior and the DINA to report on the denounced facts. The Minister responded that the victim had not been detained by order of that authority.

The DINA, for its part, replied—one month later—in the same vein. The Tribunal consulted the Minister of the Interior again, attaching a copy of the document issued by the Military Prosecutor's Office of Curicó to the spouse.

On January 23, 1976, the Minister responded that this information was due to a "typographical error" by the Military Tribunal and therefore had no validity. He insisted again that Trejo Saavedra was not detained by order of that Ministry.

The Military Court and the Aviation Court of Santiago also reported that the victim had not been placed at their disposal, nor was there any order affecting him. With these reports, on April 19, 1976, the writ was denied, and it was ordered that the records be sent to the corresponding Criminal Court so that the possible commission of a crime could be investigated.

This resolution rejecting the writ was appealed, and the Supreme Court, in order to better resolve the matter, ordered the Military Court of Concepción to instruct Lieutenant O'Ryan, Secretary of the Military Prosecutor's Office of Curicó, to report and explain the background information he had available to issue the "brief communication" to the spouse of the victim, and the reasons that could have led to the "typographical error by the clerk who drafted the document." This response is unknown; however, it is known that the Supreme Court ultimately confirmed the appealed resolution.

The proceedings that should have been instructed in the corresponding Criminal Court of Curicó, in accordance with the resolution of the Santiago Court of Appeals, are unknown, nor is there any record that the denounced facts were investigated.

In any case, a case regarding the disappearance of Luis Vega Ramírez, instructed by the 1st Criminal Court of Curicó, yielded no positive results and was temporarily dismissed because the crime had not been proven.

Source: (Corporation Report)