Miguel José Tracanao Pincheira
Obrero Maderero — 25 years old.
Background
Miguel José Tracanao Pincheira
Obrero Maderero — 25 years old.
Case summary
Miguel José Tracanao Pincheira was a 25-year-old lumber worker linked to the Movimiento Campesino Revolucionario. On October 10, 1973, he was detained in Liquiñe, in the Panguipulli area, becoming a victim of human rights violations during the military dictatorship.
Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos[1]
On October 10, 1973, between 21:00 and 23:00 hours, the following individuals were detained in the Liquiñe sector, within the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex:
-Salvador ALAMOS RUBILAR, 45 years old, industrialist, militant of the Partido Socialista, detained in Liquiñe;
-José Héctor BORQUEZ LEVICAN, 30 years old, lumber worker, Chief of Operations at the Trafún estate, member of the Movimiento Campesino Revolucionario (MCR), detained in Trafún;
-Daniel Antonio CASTRO LOPEZ, 68 years old, merchant, militant of the Partido Socialista, detained in Liquiñe;
-Carlos Alberto CAYUMAN CAYUMAN, 31 years old, lumber worker, linked to the Movimiento Campesino Revolucionario (MCR), detained in Trafún;
-Mauricio Segundo CURIÑANCO REYES, 38 years old, artisan carpenter, militant of the Partido Socialista, detained in Liquiñe;
-Carlos FIGUEROA ZAPATA, 46 years old, lumber worker, Counselor of the Esperanza del Obrero Peasant Union of the "Panguipulli" Forestry and Lumber Complex, militant of the Partido Socialista, detained in Paimún;
-Isaías José FUENTEALBA CALDERON, 29 years old, Area Chief of the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex at the Trafún estate, member of the Movimiento Campesino Revolucionario (MCR). He was detained in Liquiñe while heading to his home;
-Luis Armando LAGOS TORRES, 50 years old, lumber worker at the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex, militant of the Partido Socialista, detained in Carranco;
-Alberto Segundo REINANTE RAIPAN, 39 years old, lumber worker at the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex, member of the Movimiento Campesino Revolucionario (MCR), detained in Trafún;
-Ernesto Juan REINANTE RAIPAN, 29 years old, lumber worker at the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex, member of the Movimiento Campesino Revolucionario (MCR), detained in Trafún;
-Modesto REINANTE RAIPAN, 18 years old, lumber worker at the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex, member of the Movimiento Campesino Revolucionario (MCR), detained in Trafún;
-Luis RIVERA CATRICHEO, whose identity was confirmed by witnesses, 54 years old, lumber worker at the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex, with no known political affiliation, detained in Paimún;
-Alejandro Antonio TRACANAO PINCHEIRA, 22 years old, lumber worker at the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex, linked to the Movimiento Campesino Revolucionario (MCR), detained in Trafún;
-Miguel José TRACANAO PINCHEIRA, 25 years old, lumber worker at the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex, linked to the Movimiento Campesino Revolucionario (MCR), detained in Trafún;
-Eliseo Maximiliano TRACANAO VALENZUELA, 18 years old, lumber worker at the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex, linked to the Movimiento Campesino Revolucionario (MCR), detained in Trafún;
It can be presumed that Bernarda Rosalba VERA CONTARDO, 27 years old, a teacher at the Puerto Fuy school (Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex) and a militant of the Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria (MIR), was also detained with this group in Trafún.
According to accounts from other witnesses, she was hiding somewhere in the Forestry Complex, as she was being intensely sought by military authorities. Her family members had been informed that she had been sentenced to death in absentia during proceedings allegedly initiated regarding the assault on the Neltume Police Station, in which she was accused of participating.
It has been established that the detentions were carried out by uniformed personnel who carried a list of the detainees' names, which had been prepared by civilians who also participated in the operations. The apprehending agents were guided through the sector by certain Carabineros officials from the Liquiñe Station.
The military personnel wore combat uniforms and identified themselves as "military" to the families, stating that the detainees would return home as soon as they provided some statements. Testimonies received by this Commission suggest that the uniformed men belonged to the Maquehua Helicopter Group No. 3 located in the city of Temuco and were part of the Fuerza Aérea.
They traveled in a private vehicle, a pickup truck belonging to the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), a police vehicle, and the ambulance from the Liquiñe Station; they also had the support of a helicopter.
They acted in several groups, which gathered at the Coñaripe junction, near all the locations where the detentions took place. From there, they took the road to Villarrica, and at the bridge over the Toltén River, located at the entrance to the city, they killed them and threw their bodies into the water. Two of them were recognized by locals before they submerged permanently in the river.
The Commission is convinced that the sixteen individuals mentioned were executed outside of any legal process by State agents who violated their right to life and subsequently concealed their bodies, preventing their families from giving them a dignified burial. This conviction is based on the following evidence:
-The detention of the aforementioned individuals was confirmed;
-The investigations conducted by this Commission reliably confirm that all of them disappeared after their detention, with all traces being lost. Added to this is the fact that none of the detainees have made contact with their families, carried out administrative procedures before State agencies, or registered any entries or exits from the country, or death, subsequent to their detentions;
-Multiple credible and consistent testimonies received by this Commission report hearing gunshots at the Villarrica Bridge over the Toltén River around 02:00 hours on October 11, and seeing traces of blood on it the following day;
-The existence of witnesses who declare having recognized at least two of the bodies found in Villarrica as belonging to two of the forcibly disappeared persons from Liquiñe;
-The attempts by this Commission to obtain official information on the case from military authorities and the officials who should have provided an explanation regarding the matter were unsuccessful.
MemoriaViva[2]
Relatos de los Hechos
Political Affiliation: Linked to the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.) Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
ELISEO MAXIMILIANO TRACANAO PINCHEIRA
ID: No information DOB: 10-22-55, 17 years old at the time of his detention Address: Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex Marital Status: Single Occupation: Lumber worker Political Affiliation: Linked to the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.) Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
LUIS ALFREDO RIVERA CATRICHEO
ID: No information DOB: 54 years old at the time of his detention Address: Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex Marital Status: Single Occupation: Lumber worker at the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex Political Affiliation: No known political affiliation Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
SALVADOR ALAMOS RUBILAR
ID: No information DOB: 45 years old at the time of his detention Address: Liquiñe, Valdivia Marital Status: Married, 9 children Occupation: Lumber industrialist Political Affiliation: Socialist Party Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
ALEJANDRO ANTONIO TRACANAO PINCHEIRA
ID: No information DOB: 22 years old at the time of his detention Address: Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex Marital Status: Widower, two children Occupation: Lumber worker Political Affiliation: Linked to the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.) Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
JOSE HECTOR BORQUEZ LEVICAN
ID: No information DOB: 01-22-31, 42 years old at the time of his detention Address: Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex Marital Status: Married, four children Occupation: Lumber worker and administrator at the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex Political Affiliation: No known political affiliation Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
ALBERTO SEGUNDO REINANTE RAIPAN
ID: No information DOB: 39 years old at the time of his detention Address: Fundo Trafún, Liquiñe, Valdivia Marital Status: Married, 4 children Occupation: Lumber worker Political Affiliation: Member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.) Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
ERNESTO REINANTE RAIPAN
ID: No information DOB: 29 years old at the time of his detention Address: Fundo Trafún, Liquiñe, Valdivia Marital Status: Single Occupation: Lumber worker Political Affiliation: Member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.) Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
MODESTO JUAN REINANTE RAIPAN
ID: No information DOB: 18 years old at the time of his detention Address: Fundo Trafún, Liquiñe, Valdivia Marital Status: Single Occupation: Lumber worker Political Affiliation: Member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.) Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
LUIS ARMANDO LAGOS TORRES
ID: No information DOB: 50 years old at the time of his detention Address: Liquiñe, Valdivia Marital Status: Widower, 9 children Occupation: Lumber worker Political Affiliation: Socialist Party Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
CARLOS SEGUNDO FIGUEROA ZAPATA
ID: 25.911 of Curacautín DOB: 07-25-26, 47 years old at the time of his detention Address: Fundo Paimún, Liquiñe, Valdivia Marital Status: Married, 6 children Occupation: Lumber worker Political Affiliation: Counselor for the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex Union representing Fundo Raimún. Socialist Party. Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
MAURICIO SEGUNDO CURIÑANCO REYES
ID: No information DOB: 38 years old at the time of his detention Address: Liquiñe, Valdivia Marital Status: Single Occupation: Carpenter Political Affiliation: Socialist Party Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
ISAIAS JOSE FUENTEALBA CALDERON
ID: 25.220 of Villarrica DOB: 04-07-44, 29 years old at the time of his detention Address: Fundo Trafún, Liquiñe Marital Status: Married Occupation: Area Chief, Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex, Fundo Trafún Political Affiliation: Member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.) Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
DANIEL ANTONIO CASTRO LOPEZ
ID: No information DOB: 68 years old at the time of his detention Address: Liquiñe, Valdivia Marital Status: Married, 7 children Occupation: Merchant, correspondent for the newspaper "El Clarín" in Temuco. Political Affiliation: Socialist Party Date of Detention: October 10, 1973
On October 10, 1973, between 9:00 PM and 11:00 PM, the following individuals were detained in the Liquiñe sector, within the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex: Luis Alfredo Rivera Catricheo, lumber worker, no known political affiliation; Eliseo Maximiliano Tracanao Pincheira, lumber worker, linked to the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.); Miguel José Tracanao Pincheira, lumber worker, linked to the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.); Alejandro Antonio Tracanao Pincheira, lumber worker, linked to the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.); Salvador Alamos Rubilar, lumber industrialist, member of the Socialist Party; José Héctor Bórquez Levicán, lumber worker, work supervisor at the Trafún estate, member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.); Alberto Segundo Reinante Raipán, lumber worker, member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.); Ernesto Reinante Raipán, lumber worker, member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement; Modesto Juan Reinante Raipán, lumber worker, member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.); Luis Armando Lagos Torres, lumber worker, member of the Socialist Party; Carlos Segundo Figueroa Zapata, lumber worker, counselor for the Fundo Paimún to the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex Union, member of the Socialist Party; Mauricio Segundo Curiñanco Reyes, carpenter, member of the Socialist Party; Isaías José Fuentealba Calderón, Area Chief at the Fundo Trafún, of the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex, member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.); Daniel Antonio Castro López, merchant, correspondent for the newspaper "El Clarín" in Temuco, member of the Socialist Party.
For its part, the report of the National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation includes as part of this same repressive situation the names of the following victims: Carlos Alberto Cayumán Cayumán; and the 27-year-old teacher from Puerto Fuy, a member of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), Bernarda Rosalba Vera Contardo.
The detentions were carried out by uniformed personnel who carried a list with the names of the detainees. The apprehending group was composed of military personnel wearing combat uniforms who belonged to the No. 3 Maquehua Helicopter Group of the city of Temuco, of the Chilean Air Force (FACH); some Carabineros officials from the Liquiñe station, and civilians from the area.
They moved in private vehicles, a pickup truck from the Agriculture and Livestock Service (S.A.G.), a police vehicle, an ambulance from the Liquiñe station, and they also had the support of a FACH helicopter.
The apprehenders acted divided into several groups, which met at the Coñaripe junction, close to all the places where the detentions were carried out. There, they took the road to Villarrica, and around 2:00 AM on October 11, 1973, at the bridge over the Toltén River, they proceeded to kill them and throw their bodies into the water.
Some of the bodies were found days later by a group of people working on the banks of the Toltén River. The bodies were placed in sacks with stones so they would not float; however, some bodies surfaced. This situation was immediately reported to the Carabineros, who, by order of the officer on duty, proceeded to push the bodies into the river's current.
Among the testimonies obtained is that of Honorinda Lagos Sepúlveda, spouse of Isaías Fuentealba Calderón, Area Chief of the Panguipulli Forestry and Lumber Complex, who points out regarding her husband that he left early in the morning on October 10, 1973, after his driver picked him up, and they traveled from Trafún to Liquiñe, about 14 km away.
Upon returning in the afternoon, at a place called Los Canelales, the victim was detained by Carabineros, who left Isaías Fuentealba's briefcase, which contained documentation from the Lumber Complex, in the driver's possession so that he could deliver it to his spouse.
Part of this testimony indicates that the detainees were taken to the Liquiñe Inn, owned by Tulio García, where they were beaten and kept in a cabin. After that, they were taken out tied up and blindfolded, being transported in vehicles.
For its part, the family of Salvador Alamos Rubilar pointed out that the victim had been detained previously, remaining in that condition from September 18 to 28, 1973, for alleged links to a failed ambush on the Neltume station.
His apprehenders on that occasion were Carabineros; they detained him along with his 17-year-old son, Salvador. Alamos Rubilar was tortured. His arrest on October 10, 1973, was carried out by military personnel in the presence of his daughter, Mirta Alamos, who pointed out that in the vehicle where they loaded her father, tied by his hands and feet, there were more detainees.
The victim's spouse, Mrs. Elcira Figueroa, immediately began searching for him in different places such as: the Logistics Battalion of Valdivia, the Public Jail, the Military Prosecutor's Office of Temuco, etc.
On one occasion, while interviewing the Military Prosecutor, a high-ranking officer who was present intervened, telling her that the operation was carried out by "Black Beret" Commandos from Colina, so the local military authorities had nothing to do with it, adding: "you had better mourn and grieve for the dead."
All the aforementioned victims, executed outside of any legal process by State agents who violated their right to life and then hid their bodies, preventing their families from giving them a dignified burial, remain in the status of forcibly disappeared.
JUDICIAL AND/OR ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS
There is no knowledge that judicial proceedings have been carried out. Eliseo Maximiliano Tracanao Pincheira appears in the report of the National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation, and in a sworn statement by his mother, Mrs.
Margarita del Carmen Valenzuela González, as Eliseo Maximiliano Tracanao Valenzuela. This surname had to be rectified, because the young man is actually registered in the Civil Registry by his grandmother with the surnames Tracanao Pincheira.
Source: Corporation report
Relatos de los Hechos
The Santiago Court of Appeals confirmed this Friday the 18-year prison sentence against retired Colonel Hugo Alberto Guerra Jorquera for the kidnapping of 11 peasants who were executed in 1973 but whose bodies were never found, judicial sources reported.
The peasants were from the town of Liquiñe and worked at a local lumber complex. The appellate court rejected an appeal filed by Guerra Jorquera to invalidate the sentence imposed by Judge Alejandro Solís in January 2006, which is currently the harshest sentence handed down for human rights violations.
The retired Army colonel was also ordered to pay 250 million pesos (about 480,000 dollars) as compensation, by virtue of a civil lawsuit filed against him by five relatives of the victims. According to the Rettig Report, which documented human rights violations during the regime of the late dictator Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), the agricultural workers were detained in a joint operation by the Carabineros police from the Liquiñe station, Army personnel, and civilians.
The peasants were taken to the Villarrica bridge, over the Toltén River, where they were executed and their bodies were never found. Among the executed are the brothers Modesto, Ernesto, and Alberto Reinante Raipán, all three workers and members of the Panguipulli lumber complex union.
The plaintiff's lawyer, Nelson Caucoto, celebrated the ruling because, as he said, it confirms the crimes and establishes exemplary punishments against the accused.
Source: August 3, 2007 El Mostrador Date: 08-03-2007
Individual involved in Liquiñe case indicted
The special judge, Juan Guzmán Tapia, decided tonight to indict Luis Osvaldo García Tapia as the perpetrator of qualified kidnapping in the case of Luis Armando Lagos Torres, 50—a worker at the Panguipulli lumber complex—a Socialist militant detained in Curranco in 1973.
Luis Lagos was detained in 1973 along with 15 other people in the south, in the so-called "Caravanita Chica," in the Ninth Region.
The 16 disappeared
Salvador Alamos Rubilar José Héctor Bórquez Livican Daniel Antonio Castro López Carlos Alberto Callumán Callumán Mauricio Segundo Curiñaco Reyes Carlos Figueroa Zapata Isaías José Fuentealba Calderón Luis Armando Lagos Torres Alberto Segundo Reinante Raipán Ernesto Juan Reinante Raipán Modesto Reinante Raipán Luis Rivera Catricheo Alejandro Antonio Tracanao Pincheira José Miguel Tracanao Pincheira Eliseo Maximiliano Tracanao Pincheira Bernarda Rosalba Vera Contardo
Source: El Mostrador – May 23, 2001 Date: 05-23-2001
References
- 1Museum of Memoryhttps://interactivos.museodelamemoria.cl/victims/?p=1588
- 2