On October 13, 1973, the peasant Manuel Antonio LOPEZ LOPEZ was killed at the Papulla Settlement in front of witnesses. According to press reports, the victim had been detained during a joint operation by the Armed Forces.

While being led to point out the precise location of weapons he had allegedly buried in the area of the settlement's warehouses, he reportedly lunged suddenly at the uniformed personnel, attempting to seize a weapon from them. Upon failing to achieve his purpose, he allegedly fled and did not obey an order to halt, for which he was shot to death by the patrol.

Given that: it is highly unlikely that, once detained and in the presence of a heavy military deployment, he would have attempted to seize a weapon from his captors; it is also implausible that, once that attempt had failed and he was at the mercy of the guards, he would have attempted to flee; and even if the above were true, the agents could have subdued the victim without the need to kill him; the Commission reached the conviction that Manuel Antonio López was executed by State agents in an act of violation of his human rights.