Alejandro Ancao Paine, a widower, father of one daughter, a peasant leader, and member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (M.C.R.), was arrested on September 26, 1973, at approximately 13:30 hours, by Carabineros officers while he was inside the Banco del Estado in Cunco.

The victim had gone to the bank an hour before his arrest to collect funds intended for the payment of wages to the members of the "Luciano Cruz" settlement (today Chile Arauco). The bank branch clerk told him to return later, which he did at approximately 13:30 hours, at which time he was arrested by Carabineros from Cunco, who beat him severely.

He was loaded into a police van and taken to the local Carabineros station. Among those who apprehended him were Sergeant Julio Cayupán Maliqueo and a carabinero named Manelo Soto.

On September 28 of that year, his mother, Mrs. Marcelina Paine Catrilaf, went to the Cunco station, where the officers on duty told her that her son had been transferred to Temuco the previous day, that is, on September 27.

Subsequently, his sister María Ancao Paine traveled to the city of Temuco, where she made inquiries at the Public Jail and other places of detention for political prisoners, receiving negative responses in all of them.

Testimonies presented to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission indicate that his body was likely thrown into the Allipén River.

JUDICIAL AND/OR ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS

In April 1980, Manuel José Ancao Paine, brother of the forcibly disappeared leader, filed a complaint for alleged disappearance before the Second Court of Temuco, in which he set forth the circumstances of the arrest and subsequent disappearance of Alejandro Ancao.

In the case, registered under file number 50.360, Carabineros Sub-officer Julio Cayupán Maliqueo and Officer Gamaniel Soto Segura appeared and denied their participation in the events. Official requests sent to the Commander of the Air Force, the Prefect of Carabineros, the Army Commander of the Tucapel Regiment, and the Commander of the Maquehua Air Base to report on any information they might have regarding the arrest of the affected party resulted in these authorities stating that they possessed no information whatsoever about Alejandro Ancao.

On November 28, 1980, the case was temporarily dismissed on the grounds that the perpetration of a punishable act had not been proven.

Source: Vicaría de la Solidaridad

The minister on special assignment for human rights violation cases in the jurisdictions of Temuco, Valdivia, Puerto Montt, and Coyhaique, Álvaro Claudio Mesa Latorre, sentenced retired carabinero Gamaliel Soto Segura to 12 years in prison as the perpetrator of the aggravated kidnapping of peasant leader Alejandro Ancao Paine, a crime against humanity perpetrated starting on September 26, 1973, in the commune of Cunco.

This is the 54th sentence handed down by the magistrate.

In the ruling (case file 114.103), Minister Mesa Latorre also applied to the retired Carabineros corporal the legal accessory penalties of absolute perpetual disqualification from public offices and political rights, and absolute disqualification for professional titles for the duration of the sentence, due to his responsibility in the disappearance of the member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement.

In the resolution, the minister on special assignment establishes the following facts:

A-

That after September 11, 1973, as a result of an order issued throughout the country for the armed and security institutions, the Cunco Carabineros station increased its staff, as the lower units of the Los Laureles and Las Hortensias outposts were withdrawn, with the uniformed officers having to sleep at the unit, as the order forced them to remain in a state of barracks confinement or level 1, with the officials from the outposts having to travel during the day to their respective workplaces and fulfill their duties.

B-

That starting from that date, personnel from those units began to arrest people who had political ties or social relevance, among them public officials of the same commune (e.g., hospital staff, CORA, SAG, teachers), and peasants who had participated in the settlements located in rural sectors, among others.

These people were taken to the Cunco Carabineros station and placed in the cells, with no record of their arrest and/or entry being made in the corresponding books. These apprehensions were carried out by the head of the unit, Oscar Troncoso Chacón (deceased), along with a group of his trusted men, including the carabinero Gamaliel Soto Segura, nicknamed "Malelo," who were also dedicated to interrogating the detainees at the station itself, subjecting them, in addition, to illegitimate physical duress on different parts of their bodies.

The people who were to be apprehended were included on a list that Gamaliel Soto Segura himself carried and which was known to other officials of the Cunco station.

C-

That on September 26, 1973, Alejandro Ancao Paine, a widower, father of one daughter, a peasant leader, and member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement, traveled with a cousin from the Quechurehue sector to Cunco to carry out business at the Banco del Estado in that commune, arriving at those premises around 11:00 hours, but was summoned again at 13:00 hours to that place, asking his cousin to wait for him, as he wanted to return to the settlement soon.

Before returning to his second appointment at the Banco del Estado, Alejandro Ancao Paine was located by Moisés Fritz Mosquera (deceased), who warned him that he was being sought by the Carabineros of the Cunco station, including Gamaliel Soto and other officials, as he had spoken with them and they were carrying a list of people, among whom were Ancao Paine and Francisco Quidel, and that they had orders from outside to "take them down," that is, to eliminate them.

Fritz suggested to Ancao that he should run away, but the latter pointed out that he had passed in front of the unit and nothing had happened to him.

D-

That on the same day, September 26, Alejandro Ancao Paine was arrested by officials of the Cunco Carabineros station, including the carabinero Gamaliel Soto Segura, and placed in the unit's cells. There he was seen by Juan Carlos Riveras Guzmán, an official of the SAG of the commune of Cunco, who was being held in the barracks' cells, observing that, like him, Ancao Paine had been tortured.

Subsequently, several of the detainees were transferred to the city of Temuco, with Alejandro Ancao Paine not being among them.

E-

That days later, the mother of Alejandro Ancao Paine, Mrs. Marcelina Paine Catrilaf (deceased), upon having no news of her son, went with a relative to the commune of Cunco to make inquiries at the Carabineros station.

At that place, when she asked about her son, an official told her "ask the Allipén River." Likewise, his sister, Mrs. María Regina Ancao Paine, traveled on different dates to the city of Temuco, asking at the Tucapel Regiment, at the Carabineros Prosecutor's Office, and at the city jail for her brother, but in no place could she find Alejandro Ancao Paine, and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

F-

That finally, to this date, no public official of the Chilean Army, Carabineros of Chile, or any other branch of the Armed Forces and/or Order and Security who served at the time of the events has provided any information to the respective authority regarding what happened to Alejandro Ancao Paine, maintaining to this day the concealment of all types of information about the events mentioned in the preceding paragraphs.

In the civil aspect, the minister ordered the state to pay compensation of $670,000,000 (six hundred and seventy million pesos) for moral damages to the victim's daughter and siblings.

Source: https://www.pjud.cl 03/09/2021

Date: 03-09-2021

Minister Álvaro Mesa issues indictments against retired Carabineros for homicide and aggravated kidnapping in Curacautín and Cunco.

The minister on extraordinary assignment issued an indictment in the proceedings he is conducting for the crimes of aggravated kidnapping and homicide, illicit acts perpetrated in Cunco and Curacautín, in 1973 and 1989, respectively.

The minister on extraordinary assignment for human rights violation cases in the jurisdictions of Temuco, Valdivia, Puerto Montt, and Coyhaique, Álvaro Mesa Latorre, issued an indictment in the proceedings he is conducting for the crimes of aggravated kidnapping and homicide, illicit acts perpetrated in Cunco and Curacautín, in 1973 and 1989, respectively.

In the first resolution (Case No. 114.103), the visiting minister issued an indictment against retired Carabineros officer Gamaliel Soto Segura, as the perpetrator of the crime of aggravated kidnapping of peasant leader Alejandro Ancao Paine. This illicit act was perpetrated in the commune of Cunco, beginning on September 26, 1973.

During the investigation stage of the case, Minister Mesa Latorre managed to verify the following facts:

A.-

That after September 11, 1973, as a result of an order issued nationwide to the armed and law enforcement institutions, the Cunco Carabineros Station increased its personnel as units from the Los Laureles and Las Hortensias outposts were withdrawn.

The uniformed officers were required to sleep at the station, as the order compelled them to remain in a state of barracks confinement or Grade 1, with personnel from the outposts required to travel during the day to their respective workplaces to fulfill their duties.

B.-

That starting from that date, personnel from those units began to detain individuals who had political ties or social relevance, including public officials from the same commune (e.g., hospital staff, CORA, SAG, teachers) and peasants who had participated in the settlements located in rural sectors, among others.

These individuals were taken to the Cunco Carabineros Station and placed in the cells, with no record of their detention and/or entry made in the corresponding books (fs. 109, fs. 131, fs. 261 to fs. 262, among other records).

These apprehensions were carried out by the head of the unit, Oscar Troncoso Chacón (deceased, according to fs. 107), along with a group of his trusted subordinates, including Carabineros officer Gamaliel Soto Segura, nicknamed ‘Malelo’, who were also dedicated to interrogating the detainees at the station, subjecting them, in addition, to physical illegitimate coercion on different parts of their bodies (fs. 72 to 73, fs. 85, fs. 88, fs. 89, fs. 92, fs. 102, fs. 125, fs. 131, fs. 133, fs. 134, fs. 138, fs. 152, fs. 205, fs. 264, fs. 274, fs. 283, fs. 553, among other records).

The individuals to be apprehended were included on a list that Gamaliel Soto Segura himself carried and which was known to other officials at the Cunco Station (fs. 130).

C.-

That on September 26, 1973, Alejandro Ancao Paine, a widower, father of one daughter, peasant leader, and member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement, traveled with a cousin from the Quechurehue sector to Cunco to conduct business at the Banco del Estado in that commune (fs. 17, fs. 19, fs. 614).

He arrived around 11:00 a.m. at those premises but was summoned to return at 1:00 p.m., asking his cousin to wait for him as he wanted to return to the settlement soon (fs. 614). Prior to returning for his second appointment at the Banco Estado, Alejandro Ancao Paine was located by Moisés Fritz Mosquera, who warned him that he was being sought by the Carabineros of the Cunco Station, including Gamaliel Soto and other officials, as he had spoken with them and they were carrying a list of people, which included Ancao Paine and Francisco Quidel, and that they had orders from outside to "take them down," meaning to eliminate them. Fritz suggested to Ancao that he should run away, but Ancao pointed out that he had passed in front of the station and nothing had happened to him (59 et seq., fs. 205 et seq.).

D.-

That on the same day, September 26, Alejandro Ancao Paine was detained by officials of the Cunco Carabineros Station, including Carabineros officer Gamaliel Soto Segura, and placed in the unit's cells.

There, he was seen by Juan Carlos Riveras Guzmán, an official of the SAG of the Cunco commune, who was also being held in the station's cells, observing that, like himself, Ancao Paine had been tortured. Subsequently, several of the detainees were transferred to the city of Temuco, but Alejandro Ancao Paine was not among them (fs. 553, fs. 565).

E.-

That days later, Alejandro Ancao Paine's mother, Mrs. Marcelina Paine Catrilaf, having no news of her son, went with a relative to the commune of Cunco to make inquiries at the Carabineros Station (fs. 17 et seq., fs. 614 et seq., among other records).

At that place, when she asked about her son, an official told her, "ask the Allipén River" (fs. 17 et seq., among other records). Likewise, his sister, Mrs. María Regina Ancao Paine, traveled on different dates to the city of Temuco, asking at the Tucapel Regiment, the Carabineros Prosecutor's Office, and the city jail for her brother, but she could not find Alejandro Ancao Paine anywhere, and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day (fs. 679).

F.-

That finally, to this date, no public official of the Chilean Army, the Carabineros of Chile, or any other branch of the Armed Forces and/or Law and Order and Security who served at the time of the events has provided any information to the respective authority regarding what happened to Alejandro Ancao Paine, maintaining to this day the concealment of all types of information regarding the facts mentioned in the preceding paragraphs.

Homicide at the Curacautín Police Station

In the second case, Minister Meza Latorre issued an indictment against retired Carabineros officials for their responsibility in the crime of aggravated homicide of Marcos Quezada Yáñez, who was 17 years old at the time of the events. This illicit act was perpetrated in the commune of Curacautín on June 24, 1989.

In the resolution (Case No. 18.779), the visiting minister indicted Joel Erwin Pérez Islas, Marco Antonio Aguirre Guajardo, César Octavio Adriazola Azócar, Nelson Adalberto Almendras Illesca, and José Dolorindo Fernández Jofré as perpetrators of the crime against humanity; meanwhile, he named José Domingo Cádiz Parada and Bernardo Iván Aedo Leiva as accomplices.

During the investigation stage of the case, Minister Meza Latorre managed to establish the following facts:

A.-

That following a robbery report affecting the "Panadería Suiza" commercial establishment in the commune of Curacautín on June 24, 1989, around 12:30 p.m., 17-year-old Marcos Quezada Yáñez was detained on a public street, as he was identified as the sole suspect in the crime for having worked occasionally at that location.

His apprehension was carried out by four Carabineros officials from the Curacautín Police Station, including Corporals Joel Pérez Isla and Nelson Almendras Illesca and Carabineros officers Marcos Aguirre Guajardo and Erwin Hormazábal Aedo. At the time of his detention, Quezada Yáñez had no visible injuries.

B.-

That once at the police station, Quezada Yáñez was taken to a room intended for the entertainment of the unit's officials, adjacent to the guardroom. There, he was interrogated by all his captors and Lieutenant César Adriazola Azócar, who also directed the detainee's interrogation.

After Quezada Yáñez allegedly admitted to participating in the investigated crime, he was taken outside the police premises to the Manzanoco stream sector, to private land near an educational establishment, as he had allegedly thrown some items in that place.

This transfer was in charge of Corporals Pérez Isla and Almendras Illesca, as well as Carabineros officer Aguirre Guajardo. Subsequently, he was taken back to the police station and handed over to the guardroom, where he was interrogated again, as will be stated in the following letter.

C.-

That on the same day, June 24, three officials from the Manzanar Carabineros unit, including the head of that outpost, Sergeant José Dolorindo Fernández Cofré, and Carabineros officers Claudio Contreras Valencia and Erick Vásquez Órdenes, arrived at the Fifth Carabineros Station of Curacautín, as the commissioner of said unit ordered them to form the civil commission in charge of alcohol inspection in the commune.

During their duties, the described commission proceeded to apprehend two people, including José Lagos Pulgar and Juan Maldonado Pacheco, who were taken to the cells of the Fifth Carabineros Station of Curacautín and entered at 4:35 p.m. and 5:55 p.m. respectively, as recorded in the station's own Guard Logbook.

That Maldonado Pacheco, a few minutes after being placed in those facilities, heard screams of pain from a male person, hearing the characteristic sound of electricity and the laughter of some Carabineros officers, a situation that lasted approximately two to three minutes.

Subsequently, the detainee heard a commotion and Carabineros officers walking in front of the cell where he was, observing the entry of Carabineros officers with sticks or beams and then a young person on a cart or stretcher, transported by Carabineros personnel, including Sergeant José Dolorindo Fernández Cofré, who that night was part of the civil alcohol commission in that locality.

D.-

That around 7:20 p.m. on the same day, June 24, 1989, Quezada Yáñez's relatives went to the Carabineros unit to inquire about his status and leave him food. However, Corporal José Cádiz Parada, who was on guard duty at the time, told them to return later, not informing them that when checking the cell where Marcos Quezada was, Carabineros officer Bernardo Aedo Leiva found him hanging from one of the beams with a sweater.

E.-

That after the above occurred, Corporal Cádiz Parada communicated the situation of Quezada Yáñez to his superiors, including Lieutenant César Adriazola Azócar, who went to the scene and observed that Quezada Yáñez was hanging lifeless from one of the cell beams.

F.-

That the body of Quezada Yáñez was sent to forensic doctor Wolfgang Reuter Berger, along with the police report indicating that Quezada Yáñez had apparently died by hanging. The professional determined that the precise and necessary cause of death of Marcos Quezada Yáñez was attributed to "shock determined very probably by the action of electric current applied to some fingers of both hands." The foregoing is corroborated, furthermore, by the report of the Criminalistics Department of the Chilean Investigative Police, at fs. 758, which concludes that Quezada, prior to his hanging, was exposed by third parties to electricity in both hands and that, probably after such exposure, he was incapacitated from performing maneuvers leading to his hanging, which is consistent with Quezada Yáñez's entry into that station without visible injuries, the statement of the main witness, Juan Maldonado Pacheco, and the report of the Legal Medical Service at fs. 1.599 et seq.

G.-

That due to the above, Marcos Quezada Yáñez, once detained and taken to the police station, was subjected to coercion using electricity, in this case on both hands, which caused him to faint or lose consciousness.

Under such circumstances, it was not possible for Quezada Yáñez, due to his state of health, the conditions in which he was in the cell, the location of the beam, and the use of the garment that served as the link, to have hanged himself, as stated in the previous letter.

A death that ultimately does not allow for the exclusion of the participation of third parties, according to the Legal Medical Service's own report at fs. 1.599 et seq. All of this was known to the arresting personnel, the interrogators, and those who were on guard duty on the day of the events.

Furthermore, in no part of the military file of the time that is available is there any record that at the time of his entry into the police unit, Marcos Quezada Yáñez had visible injuries on any part of his body, which is consistent with the report of the Internal Affairs Section of the Malleco Province of the Carabineros of Chile, which appears at fs. 103 et seq.

Finally, regarding the main witness of the process, Juan Nolberto Maldonado Pacheco, the psychiatric report of the Temuco Legal Medical Service, at fs. 2.046 et seq., concludes that he is a normal person without alteration of reality judgment, which is also corroborated by his maintaining a coherent and similar account each time he has appeared in the process.

Source: diarioconstitucional.cl, January 7, 2020

Date: 07-01-2020

Minister Álvaro Mesa prosecutes retired Carabineros officer for the kidnapping of a peasant leader in Cunco.

In the resolution, the visiting minister ordered the pretrial detention of the accused Gamaliel Soto Segura, considering that his freedom constitutes a danger to the safety of society.

The minister on extraordinary assignment for human rights violation cases in the jurisdictions of Temuco, Valdivia, Puerto Montt, and Coyhaique, Álvaro Mesa Latorre, prosecuted retired Carabineros sub-officer Gamaliel Soto Segura as the perpetrator of the crime of aggravated kidnapping of Alejandro Ancao Paine, an illicit act perpetrated in the commune of Cunco on September 26, 1973.

In the resolution, the visiting minister ordered the pretrial detention of the accused Gamaliel Soto Segura, considering that his freedom constitutes a danger to the safety of society; also taking into account the probable legal sanction for the crime in which he is attributed participation, with said precautionary measure to be served at the Second Carabineros Station of Temuco.

During the investigation stage of the case, Minister Mesa Latorre managed to establish the following facts:

A.- That after September 11, 1973, as a result of an order issued nationwide to the armed and law enforcement institutions, the Cunco Carabineros Station increased its personnel as units from the Los Laureles and Las Hortensias outposts were withdrawn.

The uniformed officers were required to sleep at the station, as the order compelled them to remain in a state of barracks confinement or Grade 1, with personnel from the outposts required to travel during the day to their respective workplaces to fulfill their duties.

B.- That starting from that date, personnel from those units began to detain individuals who had political ties or social relevance, including public officials from the same commune (e.g., hospital staff, CORA, SAG, teachers) and peasants who had participated in the settlements located in rural sectors, among others.

These individuals were taken to the Cunco Carabineros Station and placed in the cells, with no record of their detention and/or entry made in the corresponding books. These apprehensions were carried out by the head of the unit, Oscar Troncoso Chacón, along with a group of his trusted subordinates, including Carabineros officer Gamaliel Soto Segura, nicknamed "Malelo," who were also dedicated to interrogating the detainees at the station, subjecting them, in addition, to physical illegitimate coercion on different parts of their bodies.

The individuals to be apprehended were included on a list that Gamaliel Soto Segura himself carried and which was known to other officials at the Cunco Station.

C.- That on September 26, 1973, Alejandro Ancao Paine, a widower, father of one daughter, peasant leader, and member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement, traveled with a cousin from the Quechurehue sector to Cunco to conduct business at the Banco del Estado in that commune.

He arrived around 11:00 a.m. at those premises but was summoned to return at 1:00 p.m., asking his cousin to wait for him as he wanted to return to the settlement soon. Prior to returning for his second appointment at the Banco Estado, Alejandro Ancao Paine was located by Moisés Fritz Mosquera, who warned him that he was being sought by the Carabineros of the Cunco Station, including Gamaliel Soto and other officials, as he had spoken with them and they were carrying a list of people, which included Ancao Paine and Francisco Quidel, and that they had orders from outside to "take them down," meaning to eliminate them. Fritz suggested to Ancao that he should run away, but Ancao pointed out that he had passed in front of the station and nothing had happened to him.

D.- That on the same day, September 26, Alejandro Ancao Paine was detained by officials of the Cunco Carabineros Station, including Carabineros officer Gamaliel Soto Segura, and placed in the unit's cells.

There, he was seen by Juan Carlos Riveras Guzmán, an official of the SAG of the Cunco commune, who was also being held in the station's cells, observing that, like himself, Ancao Paine had been tortured. Subsequently, several of the detainees were transferred to the city of Temuco, but Alejandro Ancao Paine was not among them.

E.- That days later, Alejandro Ancao Paine's mother, Mrs. Marcelina Paine Catrilaf, having no news of her son, went with a relative to the commune of Cunco to make inquiries at the Carabineros Station.

At that place, when she asked about her son, an official told her, "ask the Allipén River." Likewise, his sister, Mrs. María Regina Ancao Paine, traveled on different dates to the city of Temuco, asking at the Tucapel Regiment, the Carabineros Prosecutor's Office, and the city jail for her brother, but she could not find Alejandro Ancao Paine anywhere, and his whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

F.- That finally, to this date, no public official of the Chilean Army, the Carabineros of Chile, or any other branch of the Armed Forces and/or Law and Order and Security who served at the time of the events has provided any information to the respective authority regarding what happened to Alejandro Ancao Paine, maintaining to this day the concealment of all types of information regarding the facts mentioned in the preceding paragraphs.

Minister Álvaro Mesa was appointed as an investigator for human rights cases on September 27, 2011. Starting March 1, 2017, he was appointed by the Supreme Court to also handle investigations in the jurisdictions of the Courts of Appeal of Valdivia and Puerto Montt, with the cases of Coyhaique added as of March 1, 2018.

He currently oversees 203 cases, broken down as follows: 1.- 156 cases are in the investigation stage. 2.- 27 cases are in the stage of defense for the accused and, where appropriate, the filing of civil lawsuits. 3.- 37 cases have been ruled upon, mostly with convictions. 4.- Of the 37 finalized cases, 20 are firm and executed.

To date, through 116 indictment orders, the investigating minister directs his investigations against those who are charged, at a certain stage of the investigation, with certain crimes. In addition, 60 accusation orders have been issued, which are resolutions aimed at imputing responsibilities against one or more people for the facts being investigated.

In his investigative work, the investigating minister of the Court of Appeal of Temuco is assisted by 10 judicial clerks and 7 detectives from the Brigade for the Investigation of Crimes against Human Rights of the Chilean Investigative Police.

Source: diarioconstitucional.cl, October 3, 2019

Date: 03-10-2019

Memorial for 162 Mapuche people victimized between 1973 and 1990 to be inaugurated at Isla Cautín in Temuco

The Mapuche Research and Development Association (AID Mapuche), with the collaboration of the INDH-UE and the Center for Research and Promotion of Human Rights (CINPRODH), invites you to participate this Friday, January 26, in the inauguration of the first memorial erected, Meli Che Mamüll (4 wooden sculptures of beings), in tribute to 162 Mapuche people victimized during the years 1973 to 1990, including the entire period of the military dictatorship and the beginnings of the so-called "democracy."

The president of AID MAPUCHE, Hernán Curiñir, states:

"They offered their present, we honor their future, all in coherence with our foundational purpose," an act that will take place on January 26, 2018, at 10:30 a.m. at Isla Cautín in Temuco.

It should be remembered that AID Mapuche, together with traditional Mapuche authorities, also carried out on November 24, 2017, as part of the memorial complex, the consecration of a kuel, a mound of earth with portions from all the territories of the Wallmapu and pu kura – stones – from the puelmapu included.

The space is part of a memorial complex that began with the kuel and today continues with the meli che mamüll, which are located in the vicinity of a century-old boldo forest and a place of enormous historical significance for the Mapuche People.

It is important to mention that prior to this complex, research work was carried out by the author and researcher Hernan Curiñir Lincoqueo, a Mapuche historian from AIDMapuche, with the assistance of Pablo Silva Carrasco, a sociologist from AIDMapuche, and Conrado Zumelzu Zumelzu, a social worker from CINPRODH, who since the end of 2014 agreed with the INDH-UE to carry out a project aimed at rescuing the memory of crimes against humanity that occurred during the military dictatorship in Chile, committed by state agents.

This public information has been recorded in different commissions created by the state for such purposes, such as: the Rettig Commission, the New Deal Commission, and the Museum of Memory. "Our proposal is to investigate the cases of Mapuche political executions and the forcibly disappeared," says Curiñir, who also reports on some recorded facts: "There is the case of an infant under 1 year old and a 73-year-old woman murdered by state agents; or the Mapuche victim who lived in the Montaña Recortada sector of the Lautaro commune, together with his wife and seven children, who was kidnapped by a Carabineros patrol. Before leaving, they locked his relatives in the house, after which they set fire to the house. The victim's relatives barely managed to save their lives thanks to the help provided by neighbors present at the scene who helped them get out of the house."

Part of the contents of this work are, according to the index: Preamble, Introduction, General Background of the Project, Origin of the Chilean state, Identity, Chilean-Mapuche Parliament, Construction of the State, Nascent Economy, Civil War, The Hundred Eagles of the Chilean Army, Mapuche Geopolitics, Founding of Temuco, The military invasion concludes, The distribution of the spoils of war, The reports of the Protectors of Indigenous People, Abuses committed by private individuals, Mapuche lands, Mapuche demands, Application of the Agrarian Reform Law, Political Agreements, Repression after September 11, 1973, Araucanía Region, The repression of the Mapuche people in Araucanía, Development of Mapuche organizations, Mapuche Cultural Centers, Birth of Mapuche organizations, Mapuche participation in the 1988 plebiscite, Mapuche names upon contact with Spanish culture, Mapuche onomastics today, List of Mapuche people who were forcibly disappeared, Argentina, Cunco / Melipeuco, Curarrehue, Galvarino, Entre Lagos, Lago Ranco, Lautaro, Liquiñe / Panguipulli, Osorno, Pitrufquen / Freire, Puerto Montt, Puerto Saavedra / Carahue, Santiago, Santa Bárbara, Temuco, Valdivia, Epilogue.

Source: araucaniacuenta.cl 23/1/2018

Date: 23-01-2018

Conviction confirmed against former Carabineros officer for the aggravated kidnapping of a Mapuche peasant leader in Cunco in 1973

The Supreme Court confirmed the sentence issued by the Court of Appeal of Temuco, which convicted former Carabineros sub-officer Gamaliel Soto Segura for his responsibility in the crime of aggravated kidnapping of peasant leader Alejandro Ancao Paine, perpetrated starting September 26, 1973, in the commune of Cunco.

The former Carabineros officer was sentenced to a single penalty of 15 years in prison, unifying the current sentence with the one he already had of 10 years in prison, as the perpetrator of the crime of aggravated kidnapping of the doctor and director of the Cunco Hospital, Eduardo González Galeno, who was also kidnapped in September 1973 in the Araucanía Region.

In the first instance, Soto Segura had been sentenced to 12 years in prison; the Temuco Court confirmed that ruling but resolved to unify the sentences with the one the individual had received for the crime against the doctor from Cunco.

Now, in a unanimous ruling (case file 30.338-2022), the Second Chamber of the highest court—composed of ministers Haroldo Brito, Manuel Antonio Valderrama, Leopoldo Llanos, minister María Teresa Letelier, and lawyer (i) Pía Tavolari—rejected the appeal for cassation on the merits filed by the defense of the convicted man against said sentence and resolved: "that the appeal for cassation on the merits, filed by the defense of the convicted Gamaliel Soto Segura against the criminal decision of the second-instance ruling of April 18, 2022, pronounced by the Court of Appeal of Temuco, is rejected, and it is not void in this section."

In the ruling, the former Carabineros officer is subject to the legal accessories of absolute perpetual disqualification for public offices and positions and political rights, and absolute disqualification for professional titles for the duration of the sentence, for his responsibility in the disappearance of the member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement (MCR).

Alejandro Ancao Paine, 42 years old, a widower and father of one daughter, was a leader of the Mapuche Communal Council, a member of the Revolutionary Peasant Movement, and a militant of the Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR).

The day he was detained, he had traveled from his community of Quechurehue to Cunco to conduct business, without knowing that he was being sought by police units from the Cunco Station. From the military coup onwards, the Cunco Station had been reinforced with police personnel from other smaller units in Los Laureles and Las Hortensias.

Starting from the same date, Carabineros units under the command of former officer Oscar Hernán Troncoso Chacón (who died in impunity) began to carry out arbitrary detentions of peasants and locals. Armed with lists of people, they patrolled the nearby localities and communities looking for those indicated to be detained or executed.

"Ask the river" The now-convicted Gamaliel Soto Segura, alias "Malelo," who was a Carabineros corporal at the time of the events, carried the list and led the capture operations. The detainees were taken to the cells of the Cunco station.

There, the prisoners were subjected to floggings and torture by their own captors. In that condition, Ancao Paine was seen among the prisoners at the police unit.

On September 26, Ancao Paine was warned by a neighbor of Cunco that the Carabineros were looking for him to "take him down," just like Francisco Quidel, as he had verified with Soto Segura himself. Ancao Paine chose not to escape because he pointed out that he had passed in front of the station and no one had done anything to him; so he continued with his business.

Shortly after, he was detained by the group led by Troncoso Chacón and Soto Segura.

From the station's cells, he was made to disappear. When the leader's relatives went to the police unit to inquire about the detainee's situation, they received as their only response: "Ask the Allipén River." Several of the detainees at the police unit at that time were subsequently transferred to detention centers in the city of Temuco, but the same did not happen with Ancao Paine, thus making him a forcibly disappeared person, executed by the repressive units of the dictatorship.

Source: resumen.cl 11/9/2023

Complaint for Alejandro Ancao: forcibly disappeared.

On Wednesday, December 3, a criminal complaint was filed to investigate the disappearance of Alejandro Ancao Paine, which occurred in the town of Cunco (IX Region) on September 26, 1973.

The criminal complaint was presented to the minister appointed for human rights cases, Fernando Carreño, by lawyer Rodrigo Lillo, who represents Luz Ancao Lienlaf, Alejandro Ancao's daughter. The legal action seeks to determine those responsible in their capacity as perpetrators, accomplices, or cover-ups for the crimes of illegal detention or kidnapping and illicit association.

According to the scarce background information on the case, Alejandro Ancao was detained on September 26, 1973, by Carabineros officials at the Banco del Estado in Cunco, a place he had gone to with a relative. Carabineros, as stated in the Rettig Report, denied the detention of this leader, and witnesses claim that the body was thrown into the Allipén River.

Alejandro Ancao was 22 years old and was a farmer. He was a militant of the Socialist Party and a leader of the Luciano Cruz Agrarian Reform Center (CERA) and a member of the Mapuche Council of Cunco.

Source: Comunicaciones NorAlinea - noralinea@surnet.cl. Temuco.