Nelson Nolberto LLanquilef Velásquez, a worker for the Emergency Plan of the Ministry of Public Works and a socialist militant, was detained on October 8, 1973, by Carabineros in the Puerto Ramírez sector.

According to information published by the newspaper "La Cruz del Sur," he was detained along with two other people whose names were not disclosed by Carabineros officers from Puerto Ramírez. According to the police, the detainees were implicated in an attack on the local police station, organized by the Governor of Palena.

The Carabineros added that when these individuals were being led to the police station, Llanquilef suddenly threw himself "into the stormy waters of the Futalelfú River," disappearing immediately. Police personnel allegedly searched the area without being able to locate him.

The news report concludes by noting that the events had been brought to the attention of the Military Court.

According to the Rettig Report, the victim was executed and his body thrown into the waters of Lake Yelcho while he was being transported to the Futalelfú police station. His body was never found.

JUDICIAL AND/OR ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS

There are no recorded judicial actions.

Authorities, social and cultural organizations officially inaugurated the restored Memorial for the Forcibly Disappeared of Palena Province. The ceremony took place in the Plaza de Armas of Chaitén, where the monument is located.

Additionally, a plaque was installed in memory of four forcibly disappeared persons from the province. They are: Nelson Norberto Llanquilef Velásquez, José Raúl Velásquez Vargas, both public employees, and Rubén Alejandro Velásquez Vargas and José Essaú Velásquez, farmers.

It should be recalled that the Memorial for the Forcibly Disappeared of Palena Province was inaugurated on January 19, 2007, at the request of the Human Rights Program of the Ministry of the Interior of the Government of Chile.

The work arose as an initiative of the Chaitén Human Rights Group. The design is by Fine Arts graduate Franz Herbert Reimers Prinea and designer María Alejandra Reese Vivanco.

In 2008, the commune of Chaitén was destroyed by the volcanic eruption, a disaster that affected the monument. Fifty years after the coup d'état in Chile, it has been restored thanks to the coordination of the Palena Provincial Board. This was supported by the Palena Provincial Presidential Delegation and the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage.

The monument is a mural composed of three volumes, created using the sgraffito technique. Sculpted into each are images related to the pain of victims of human rights violations and the hopes of the people in conquering their future.

Testimonies The work of her department, together with the Provincial Delegation and other institutions, in which they agreed upon and accompanied the regional boards, was highlighted by the Regional Ministerial Secretary (Seremi) of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, Cristina Añasco. "One of them was the Palena province board, whose needs and contributions are unique and special.

For us as a Ministry, it is relevant to preserve them over time. Memory is diverse, and the stories in different parts of the national territory are unique. What happened in Palena must be told. We thank the artists who accompanied this process, and we will continue with this restoration work. This is the initial stage," she announced.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Presidential Delegate, Luis Montaña, commented that "we decided to support the concerns of the Provincial Board regarding the 50th anniversary. The needs expressed by the Human Rights groups.

That is why we are in the Chaitén plaza, where the Memorial for the Forcibly Disappeared is located. We also installed a plaque that had been removed during the history of this memorial, and today it takes shape and color again with the original authors of the work."

Daniel Velásquez is the son of a forcibly disappeared person whose case was transferred to the Search Plan led by the Ministry of Justice. Velásquez stated, "I had the privilege of participating in the placement of the plaque at the memorial for the forcibly disappeared in the Chaitén plaza.

I am happy with the activity, supported by the authorities. We are going to continue fighting so that we keep advancing in seeking truth and justice above all things. We are also reactivating and moving forward with the Chaitén Human Rights Group."

By Fernando Santibañez

Source: elsureno.cl, November 20, 2023

Date: 11-20-2023

Forcibly Disappeared in Palena Province

From the Velásquez family of Palena—a father and two sons, detained and disappeared shortly after the start of the dictatorship in 1973—to José Huenante, detained by Carabineros and still disappeared in democracy, the International Day of the Disappeared is commemorated today.

In Puerto Montt, this morning, human rights organizations, former political prisoners, officials, and the director of the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH) and PRAIS gathered at the plaza fountain to commemorate those who, from 1973 to 2005, have been detained by police agencies and whose bodies have still not been found by their families.

Banner removed by Carabineros

Early today, INDH officials requested the collaboration of the Puerto Montt municipality to install a banner in the area of the fountain facing the still-closed Puerto Montt plaza. The installation took place at approximately 09:00, but before 11:00, the human rights banner had disappeared, the cord holding it having been broken.

Carabineros stationed near the site indicated to the officials that they had no information; however, people working in the area indicated that the banner was removed by Carabineros. Mauricio Maya, regional director of the INDH, communicated with the institution, which acknowledged that an officer who had just arrived in the city had taken the banner to "protect it from the wind," indicating it would be returned.

For his part, Alfredo Argel, leader of the association of former political prisoners, criticized the actions of the Carabineros and highlighted the need to preserve the memory of human rights violations as an important contribution to democracy.

Egaña 60 From the plaza, they moved to the former PDI (Investigative Police) facility at Egaña 60, a building that was handed over to the Egaña 60 Corporation to establish a site of memory there. A banner was installed at this location remembering the four forcibly disappeared persons in the region since 1973, at the beginning of the dictatorship in Palena province, and the young José Huenante, detained and disappeared in democracy.

Johanna Guala, national leader of the INDH officials' association, indicated that today's activities are part of the commitment to the defense of human rights.

Forcibly disappeared in Palena Province

In the province of Palena, there are four registered cases of forced disappearance. This is part of their history, according to the records of the Memoria Viva site.

Nelson Nolberto LLanquilef Velásquez, a worker for the Emergency Plan of the Ministry of Public Works and a socialist militant, was detained on October 8, 1973, by Carabineros in the Puerto Ramírez sector.

According to information published by the newspaper "La Cruz del Sur," he was detained along with two other people whose names were not disclosed by Carabineros officers from Puerto Ramírez. According to the police, the detainees were implicated in an attack on the local police station, organized by the Governor of Palena.

The Carabineros added that when these individuals were being led to the police station, Llanquilef suddenly threw himself "into the stormy waters of the Futalelfú River," disappearing immediately. Police personnel allegedly searched the area without being able to locate him.

According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the victim was executed and his body thrown into the waters of Lake Yelcho while he was being transported to the Futalelfú police station. His body was not found.

Velásquez Family

Rubén Alejandro Velásquez Vargas, married, 1 child, farmer, was detained on October 5, 1973, at his home in Alto de Yungue, Palena. The apprehension was carried out by a group of Carabineros from Alto Palena, who arrived at the victim's house firing shots.

He was with his wife, Ana Delia Soto Alvarez, and their one-year-old son. Faced with this situation, Rubén Velásquez surrendered to them. Together with another farmer, Luis Espinoza Bastidas, he was taken to the house of a private individual, Ernesto de Ocares, from which point his trail was lost forever.

At the same time, his father, José Esaú Velásquez Velásquez, also a farmer, was detained while working on his land when Carabineros arrived accompanied by a neighbor. A witness who gave his version to the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission stated that he was killed without any provocation.

The death allegedly occurred at Lake Yungue, 70 km from Palena. The official version of the time, which appeared in the local press on October 11, 1973, labeled Velásquez Velásquez as an extremist who, it was said, "sowed terror in the Continental Chiloé area and was shot to death while trying to attack a Carabineros Corporal during his arrest in the wooded region of the place called 'El Tranquilo,' located seventy kilometers from Palena." The report continues: "The event occurred when Carabineros in the sector tried to arrest Esaú Velásquez for carrying out subversive actions and terrorist activities in the area. When Carabineros located him and tried to apprehend him in a forest situated between 'El Tranquilo' and Lake Yungue, where the extremist tried to evade police action, Velásquez Velásquez, upon being surprised, attacked a Carabineros Corporal with a machete; the corporal, repelling the imminent action, used his weapon and shot him." "On the other hand, in the raid that Carabineros carried out on Esaú Velásquez's house, they found abundant Marxist propaganda, dynamite, fuses, and detonators, elements that were intended to carry out acts of sabotage in the area." The press version does not indicate which authority is responsible for this information. The body was never handed over to his family for burial.

Another brother, José Raúl Velásquez Vargas, was detained 4 days later, at approximately 10:30 on October 9, 1973. The apprehension was carried out by Carabineros from Palena. That same day, his mother went to the police station where they acknowledged he was being held, without allowing her to visit.

That same night, the family was informed that he would be released, which did not happen. Since that date, his whereabouts remain unknown.

The National Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which reviewed this complaint, concluded that the death of José Velásquez Velásquez and the disappearance of his 2 sons constitute a human rights violation for which State agents are responsible.

José Huenante, disappeared in democracy

José Huenante, a 16-year-old youth, disappeared after being detained by a group of Carabineros in the Mirasol neighborhood of Puerto Montt on September 3, 2005. Since then, his whereabouts remain unknown.

Although numerous records accuse the police officers who detained him, José's case is the second case of a forcibly disappeared person in democracy (the first being Hugo Arispe in 2001), and it served to remind of the continuity of the repressive practices used during the dictatorship.

By Natalia Pinilla

Source: elajitador.cl, October 18, 2023

Date: 10-18-2023

Conviction Confirmed Against Four Carabineros for Disappeared Person in Chaitén

In a split decision, the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court sentenced the former officers to three years and one day, with the benefit of supervised release, for the permanent kidnapping of Nelson Llanquilef, which occurred on October 8, 1973.

The Supreme Court confirmed this Thursday the sentences against four retired Carabineros who were convicted of the crime of permanent kidnapping of Nelson Llanquilef Velásquez, who has remained in the status of a forcibly disappeared person since October 8, 1973, in the town of Puerto Ramírez, Los Lagos Region.

As reported by the Judiciary's Communications Department, in a split decision, the Criminal Chamber of the highest court sentenced Hernán Escobar Inostroza, Víctor del Carmen Retamal Carrasco, Joel de Jesús Osorio Morales, and José Desiderio Barría Vargas to the penalty of three years and one day of minor imprisonment in its maximum degree for the indicated crime, granting the convicted the benefit of supervised release.

Justices Alberto Chaigneau, Nibaldo Segura, Jaime Rodríguez, and lawyer member Domingo Hernández were in favor of applying the conviction; while Justice Rubén Ballesteros was in favor of applying the principle of statute of limitations.

The justices also confirmed the first-instance ruling that acquitted Jorge Hernán Veloso Bastías, Belarmino Sánchez Triviño, and Raúl Becker Álvarez of the same crime.

Nelson Nolberto LLanquilef Velásquez, a socialist militant, worked as a worker for the Ministry of Public Works' emergency plan and was detained by police officers in the Puerto Ramírez sector. According to articles published at that time by the local press, the worker was apprehended along with two other people after being accused of participating in an attack on the local police station.

According to that same version, when they were being led to a police station, Llanquilef suddenly threw himself "into the stormy waters of the Futalelfú River," disappearing immediately.

However, the Rettig Commission stated years later that the victim was executed and his body thrown into the waters of Lake Yelcho while he was being transported to the Futalelfú police station, and his body was never found.

Source: elmostrador.cl, October 11, 2007

Date: 10-11-2007

Courts of Appeal of Puerto Montt and Talca Ratify

Courts of appeal of Maule and Los Lagos convicted former Carabineros for two cases of qualified homicide perpetrated during the military dictatorship.

In two rulings that reflect the Supreme Court's policy of fully embracing international human rights treaties, the courts of appeal of Talca and Puerto Montt convicted Carabineros for the murders of opponents of the military dictatorship.

In a unanimous ruling, the Maule Court of Appeal sentenced former uniformed police officer Primitivo José Castro Campos to five years and one day of imprisonment as responsible for the homicide of Carlos Roberto Fuentealba Herrera, an event that occurred on June 22, 1974, in the capital of the Seventh Region.

The ruling makes express mention that the International Geneva Conventions must be applied in Chile, because the highest court recognized their full validity in Chile, despite the fact that they are not incorporated into our legislation.

"It has been the Honorable Supreme Court in the case regarding the qualified homicide of students and members of the MIR, Hugo Rivol Vásquez Martínez and Mario Edmundo Superby Jeldres [...] that has pointed out that at the time these events occurred, the national territory was legally in a state of internal war, which makes the regulations of International Humanitarian Law applicable," states the resolution written by Justice Eduardo Meins Olivares.

The ruling is noteworthy, as previously the Talca appellate court had refused to apply the Geneva Conventions in two other human rights cases, applying the statute of limitations to those responsible for the crimes.

Convictions in Los Lagos Region

Meanwhile, the Puerto Montt Court of Appeal ratified the convictions of former Carabineros Hernán Escobar Hinostroza, Víctor del Carmen Retamal Carrasco, Joel Osorio Morales, and Desiderio García Vargas for the homicide of Nelson Llanquilef Velásquez, which occurred on October 8, 1973, in Puerto Ramírez, Los Lagos Region.

The former officers were sentenced to 5 years and one day of imprisonment, reducing the 10-year sentence that had been handed down in the first instance by the Chaitén Judge of Letters in October 2005.

"Although the perpetrators of the illicit act are State agents, their way of acting and the circumstances do not fall within the framework of their public functions, nor are they for the benefit of the collective legal good, which as such they were supposed to protect; on the contrary, they acted by clearly departing from their duty as Carabineros de Chile, proceeding to execute the forced disappearance and kidnapping of a person," states the resolution.

Source: elmostrador.cl, May 8, 2007

Date: 05-08-2007

Justice Convicted Four Former Carabineros for Human Rights Case

In a first-instance resolution, a tribunal determined that the retired police officers participated, in 1973, in the murder of a union leader in the Los Lagos Region.

The Chaitén Court, Tenth Region, sentenced four retired Carabineros to 10 years in prison for their responsibility in the disappearance and death of union leader Nelson Llanquilef in 1973, a few days after the coup d'état.

In addition, the first-instance resolution determined that Colonel (ret.) Hernán Escobar Inostroza and retired Carabineros Víctor Retamal, Joel Osorio Morales, and José Barría Vargas must pay compensation of 60 million pesos to the victim's family.

The court acquitted Belarmino Sánchez, Jorge Veloso Bastidas, and businessman Raúl Becker, although Llanquilef's family announced that they will appeal these acquittals to the Puerto Montt Court of Appeal.

The Rettig Report, which in 1991 documented human rights violations during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, states that Llanquilef, 25, was detained on October 8, 1973, by Carabineros officers from Futaleufú.

The detainee, who worked in the Emergency Plan of the Ministry of Public Works in Puerto Ramírez, was transported to the local police station, after which "he was executed by his captors, with his body being abandoned in the waters of Lake Yelcho."

At the time of his detention, Llanquilef was secretary of the Socialist Youth of Chaitén and president of the Central Workers' Union (CUT) of the province.

For this case, the justice system prosecuted in 2002 the former minister of the Pinochet regime, retired Carabineros General Jorge Veloso Bastías, who held the portfolio of National Assets in 1987 and 1988.

Source: cooperativa.cl, October 15, 2005

Date: 10-15-2005

Former Pinochet Minister Detained for Disappearance of Leftist Leader

Retired Carabineros General Jorge Veloso is detained in the Chaitén prison, in the Tenth Region, for his responsibility in the disappearance of a leftist leader during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

Jorge Veloso also held the position of Minister of National Assets during the military regime.

The body of the alleged victim of the former minister was reportedly thrown into the sea, according to the records handled in the case.

Source: primeralinea.cl, January 30, 2001

Date: 01-30-2001

Former Pinochet Minister Prosecuted for Disappeared Person Case

In a significant ruling for the human rights investigation, the Puerto Montt Court of Appeal prosecuted retired Carabineros General Jorge Veloso Bastías, former Minister of National Assets during the military regime, for the crime of kidnapping against a forcibly disappeared person in the area.

The judicial resolution of the appellate court accepts the filing of the plaintiffs in the process regarding the disappearance of Nelson Nolberto Llanquilef Velásquez, a forcibly disappeared person since October 8, 1973, whose body, according to witnesses, was thrown into the waters of Lake Yelcho.

In the case being processed by the Chaitén Criminal Court, led by magistrate with preferential dedication Natalia Rencoret, the Human Rights Program of the Ministry of the Interior has been a plaintiff since 1999, despite the fact that the case dates back to 1990 when the family filed a complaint for alleged misfortune that survived the passage of time, albeit without positive results.

In fact, since the government agency entered the case, the proceedings have increased to the point that it has been possible to determine who participated in the operation in which the Ministry of Public Works worker was detained.

In compliance with the ruling of the Puerto Montt Court, the Fifth Department of the Investigative Police is carrying out efforts to detain General (ret.) Veloso, who has not yet been notified of the judicial resolution and is presumably in Santiago.

Veloso served from 1987 to 1988 as Minister of National Assets, was a member of the Third Legislative Commission, and director of instruction for the Carabineros. His curriculum highlights that he was a specialist in general administration with a mention in personnel and police operations, a graduate of the High Command and National Security course of Political and Strategic Studies, and carried out missions in Uruguay, Paraguay, and the United States.

In the first instance, the Chaitén magistrate rejected the request made by a local lawyer representing the Program; however, the jurist appealed the ruling and resorted to the second instance, and this time the Court of Appeal accepted the request and ordered the detention of the retired general so that he may appear "as soon as possible" before the court.

Favoring the prosecution was the testimony of two witnesses who claim they saw how Llanquilef was separated from a group of detainees, beaten, and tortured, and shortly after, a shot was heard. Hours later, other witnesses claim to have seen his body floating in the waters of Lake Yelcho.

Judicial progress

The Rettig Report states that "on October 8, 1973, Nelson Nolberto Llanquilef Velásquez, 25, a worker for the Emergency Plan of the Ministry of Public Works in Puerto Ramírez, a leader of the Socialist Party, was detained by Carabineros officers from Futalelfú, who, upon being transported to the Futalelfú police station, was executed by his captors, with his body being abandoned in the waters of Lake Yelcho."

It adds that "the commission formed the conviction that the death of Nelson LLanquilef constitutes a human rights violation for which State agents are responsible, based on testimonies received that prove the victim's detention, as well as the fact that his death occurred in the indicated manner."

The complaint from the Program adds other background information, such as that "Llanquilef held at the time the position of exceptional secretary of the Socialist Youth of Chaitén and president of the Central Workers' Union of the province.

On October 8, 1973, he was illegally detained by Carabineros officers acting under the command of Captain Hernán Escobar Inostroza, sub-commissar of the Chaitén police station, carrying out a patrol ordered by Commissar Jorge Hernán Veloso Bastías.

The action was carried out without prior process, nor an arrest warrant issued by a competent authority, under the sole discretion and decision of the accused."

The document points out that "Llanquilef Velásquez was detained at his workplace and transported along with two other detainees from Puerto Ramírez to Puerto Cárdenas. During this journey, the detainee was separated from the rest and interrogated by his captors about his political activities and alleged explosives, being beaten and tortured repeatedly according to two witnesses; since then, he has been disappeared, and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day."

The confirmation of this information led Judge Rencoret to prosecute, in the middle of last year, retired sub-commissar Hernán Escobar Inostroza and retired Carabineros officers Víctor Retamal and Joel Osorio Morales, as authors of the crime of kidnapping against Llanquilef, the same charge now being pursued against General Veloso.

Although the case file 4246 has been open since 1990, it had a slow preliminary phase. Only once lawyer Ingrid Domke of the Human Rights Program filed the complaint did the investigation take a major turn, with proceedings being carried out that have allowed for the certain definition of who participated in the illegal detention of Llanquilef, who beat him, and who killed him.

General (ret.) Veloso has already testified in the process before Judge Rencoret, and in his testimony, he absolutely denies having ordered the operation and maintains that he knew nothing about this case or others in the area. The other former officers accused have indicated that Llanquilef fled from the officers and, in his run, lost control of his body, falling into the lake, where he died.

Despite the denials, the strength of the arguments of Llanquilef's family—plaintiffs in the case—and the testimonies of other victims of the team of former Carabineros officers who participated in the detention have allowed the process to be clarified.

Source: primeralinea.cl, January 25, 2001

Date: 01-25-2001

Memorial to Forcibly Disappeared of Palena Province Recovered

Social and cultural organizations and the general community, members of the Palena Provincial Board for the Commemoration of the 50 years of the Coup d'état in Chile, together with the Seremi of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, Cristina Añasco, and the Provincial Presidential Delegate, Luis Montaña, held an official act for the restoration of the Memorial for the Forcibly Disappeared of Palena province and installed a plaque in memory of four forcibly disappeared persons represented by the figures of Nelson Norberto Llanquilef Velásquez, José Raúl Velásquez Vargas, both public employees, and Rubén Alejandro Velásquez Vargas and José Essaú Velásquez, farmers; all forcibly disappeared in the area during 1973.

"As a State institution, together with the Palena Provincial Presidential Delegation and other institutions, we have agreed and accompanied the needs of different boards that were set up in the region.

One of them was the Palena province board, whose needs and contributions are unique and special; for us as a Ministry, it is relevant to preserve them over time. Memory is diverse, and the stories in different parts of the national territory are unique, and what happened in Palena must be told.

We thank the artists who accompanied this process, and we will continue with this restoration work; this is the initial stage and is one of the milestones we are fulfilling within the framework of the commemoration of the 50 years, to say never again and advance in guarantees of non-repetition," explained the Seremi of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, Cristina Añasco.

For his part, the Provincial Presidential Delegate, Luis Montaña, commented that "within the framework of the Commemoration of the 50 years of the Coup d'état, as the Palena Provincial Presidential Delegation, we decided to support the concerns of the Provincial Board, the needs expressed by the Human Rights groups; for this reason, we are in the Chaitén plaza, where the Memorial for the Forcibly Disappeared is located, and we also installed a plaque that had been removed during the history of this memorial, and today it takes shape and color again with the original authors of the work, an action that was promoted by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage."

Daniel Velásquez, son of a forcibly disappeared person whose case was transferred to the Search Plan led by the Ministry of Justice, added that "today I had the privilege of participating in the placement of the plaque in memory of the forcibly disappeared 50 years later in the province of Palena, at the memorial that is in the Chaitén plaza.

I am happy with the activity, supported by the authorities, and to continue fighting so that we keep advancing and everything that remains for us, which is to seek truth and justice above all things. We are reactivating and moving forward with the Chaitén Human Rights Group."

The Memorial Monument for the Forcibly Disappeared of Palena Province is located in the Plaza de Armas of Chaitén. It was inaugurated on January 19, 2007, at the request of the Human Rights Program of the Ministry of the Interior of the Government of Chile.

The work arose as an initiative of the Chaitén Human Rights Group, whose design is by Fine Arts graduate Franz Herbert Reimers Prinea and designer María Alejandra Reese Vivanco.

The monument is a mural composed of three volumes, created using the sgraffito technique. Sculpted into each are images related to the pain of victims of human rights violations and the hopes of the people in conquering their future.

In 2008, the commune of Chaitén was destroyed due to the eruption, a disaster that affected the work, and 50 years after the Coup d'état in Chile, it is restored thanks to the coordination of the Palena Provincial Board, the support of the Palena Provincial Presidential Delegation, and the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage.

Source: cronicadelsur.cl, 11/21/2023