Execution in Quillota.

On January 18, 1974, six prominent leaders from Quillota were executed by personnel from the Cavalry School of that city:

Víctor Enrique FUENZALIDA FUENZALIDA, 35 years old, Head of the Technical Department of the Agrarian Reform Corporation (CORA) of Quillota and Provincial Secretary of the Communist Party, presented himself voluntarily to the Military Prosecutor's Office of Quillota on September 15, 1973, after being summoned by a military edict, and was detained on the spot.

Manuel Hernán HURTADO MARTINEZ, 35 years old, employee of the Quillota Treasury, local Secretary of the Socialist Party, presented himself voluntarily to the Carabineros station in Quillota on September 18, 1973, after receiving a summons from said police unit at his home, and was detained on the spot.

Osvaldo Mario MANZANO CORTEZ, 32 years old, textile worker, President of the Rayon Said Union, militant of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), was detained on September 17 at his workplace by military personnel from one of the units stationed in Quillota.

Julio Arturo LOO PRADO, 27 years old, textile worker, Secretary of the Rayon Said Production Committee, communist militant, was detained on September 17, 1973, when he presented himself voluntarily to one of the military units in Quillota.

Angel Mario DIAZ CASTRO, community leader, 41 years old, textile worker, was detained on September 11, 1973, by military personnel stationed in Quillota.

Hugo Hernán ARANDA BRUNA, 30 years old, single, farmer, neighborhood leader. The exact date of his detention is unknown, likely occurring in the second half of September. It was verified that Aranda remained held in the same detention centers as the rest of the executed individuals.

According to the official version issued by the Military Governor of the Department of Quillota, the death of all of them occurred as a result of an extremist assault directed against the military patrol that was transporting them between the Cavalry School and the Engineers Regiment of Quillota.

Taking advantage of said action, the prisoners allegedly attempted to escape, for which they had to be killed, but two of them allegedly managed to escape. To date, both remain forcibly disappeared:

Pablo GAC ESPINOZA, 43 years old, Mayor of Quillota and socialist militant. By order of the new authorities, he was required to report to sign in at the Military Prosecutor's Office of Quillota, which he did periodically. He was detained on January 17, 1974, by local military personnel.

Rubén Guillermo CABEZAS PAREZ, 46 years old, lawyer, Prosecutor for the Agrarian Reform Corporation (CORA) of Quillota, communist militant, was detained at his private office on January 17, 1974, in the presence of witnesses, and transferred to one of the military units in Quillota.

The Commission could not accept the official version, and formed the conviction that the eight prisoners were executed by the State agents who held them in their custody, who violated their human rights. This conviction is based on the following circumstances:

-It is not plausible that it was necessary to kill all those affected to prevent their alleged escape, since they were unarmed and under heavy military guard.

-Several detainees had presented themselves voluntarily to the military authorities, so it does not seem coherent that they would attempt to flee. Some of them had even made contact with lawyers to be defended in the proceedings that it had been said would be brought against them.

-The alleged extremist attack would have occurred in a place that had heavy armed surveillance due to its strategic nature. It is also not plausible that an attack of such nature could have been attempted during curfew hours and that none of the attackers were captured. For the same reason, it is not credible that the supposed fugitives were not found.

-None of the extremists who supposedly attacked the patrol were killed or wounded; instead, six of the detainees were killed. Nor was any member of the patrol killed. The military report only indicates the existence of one slightly wounded soldier, which does not match the alleged violence of the attack as described in the official statement.

-It is also not plausible that two prominent and well-known people in the area, Pablo Gac, Mayor of Quillota, and Rubén Cabezas, a prestigious lawyer and Prosecutor for the Agrarian Reform Corporation of that city, were the only survivors and were able and willing to flee, especially considering that both had been detained on the same day, without having offered the slightest resistance.