Judge Fernando Carreño sentenced seven former officials of the Chilean Air Force to eight years in prison for the aggravated kidnapping of two people following the 1973 military coup in the Curacautín area, east of Temuco in the Andean foothills of the Araucanía Region.

Leonardo Reyes, Jorge Valdebenito, Luis Soto, Eriberto Pereira, Jorge Soto, Luis Yáñez, and Enrique Rebolledo were convicted for the aggravated kidnapping of teacher María Arriagada Jerez—who remains forcibly disappeared in the Cautín province—and Jorge Aillón Lara, both of whom were Communist Party militants.

The woman was apprehended in front of witnesses at her workplace on September 27, 1973, by members of the Air Force and Carabineros, and taken along with another teacher in an Air Force helicopter to the Lonquimay sub-precinct.

The following day, she was taken to Curacautín and then to the Maquehua air base in Temuco. Her whereabouts remain unknown since that time. Aillón, an official of the Agricultural Trade Company (ENDESA), had been detained by Carabineros officers from Lonquimay on the same day as the military coup (September 11).

Source: La Nación, June 7, 2008

Minister Álvaro Mesa issues indictment against retired Carabineros for unlawful coercion at the Curarrehue police station.

The visiting minister indicted Gonzalo Humberto Figueroa Nieto as the perpetrator of the crime of illegal detention of Díaz Cortez, Humaña Jiménez, Leal Riquelme, Saravia Flores, Salazar Salgado, Díaz Cortez, and Santana Dubreuil; and as the perpetrator of the crime of unlawful coercion against Díaz Cortez.

The visiting minister for human rights violation cases in the jurisdictions of Temuco, Valdivia, Puerto Montt, and Coyhaique, Álvaro Mesa Latorre, issued an indictment against retired members of the Carabineros for their responsibility in the crimes of illegal detention and unlawful coercion, illicit acts perpetrated at the Curarrehue police station in September 1973.

This is the 55th indictment issued by the minister. The visiting minister indicted Gonzalo Humberto Figueroa Nieto as the perpetrator of the crime of illegal detention of Juan Luis Díaz Cortez, Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, Rubén Enrique Leal Riquelme, Renato Ariel Saravia Flores, Baldomero Osvaldo Salazar Salgado, René Esteban Díaz Cortez, and Renato Santana Dubreuil; and as the perpetrator of the crime of unlawful coercion against Juan Luis Díaz Cortez.

Meanwhile, Enrique Alberto Rebolledo Sotelo faces an indictment as the perpetrator of the crime of unlawful coercion applied to detainees Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, Rubén Enrique Leal Riquelme, Renato Ariel Saravia Flores, and Baldomero Osvaldo Salazar Salgado; and Nelson Enrique Rodríguez and Héctor Guillermo Sepúlveda Chacón as co-perpetrators of the crime of unlawful coercion committed against Juan Luis Díaz Cortez.

During the investigation phase of the case, Minister Mesa Latorre was able to establish the following facts: A.- That after September 11, 1973, the Curarrehue Carabineros station was reinforced with a contingent from other detachments, remaining under the command of Carabineros officer Lieutenant Gonzalo Humberto Figueroa Nieto, who immediately and on his own initiative ordered the detention of local civilians without having any order issued by a court that would authorize such action.

B.- That Mr. Juan Luis Díaz Cortez, a supporter of the Unidad Popular government, was detained by Curarrehue Carabineros personnel on September 13, 1973, by order of the lieutenant in charge of the station, Gonzalo Humberto Figueroa Nieto.

Upon arriving at the aforementioned unit, he saw that Renato Santana Dubreuil, Luis Cid Hernández, and Benito Tapia were also being held. Subsequently, they were all loaded into a pickup truck owned by a civilian named Clorindo Mena (deceased) and transported to the Pucón Carabineros sub-precinct, and later transferred to the 2nd Carabineros Precinct of Temuco, where Díaz Cortez spent the night.

The next morning, he was taken to the Maquehua Air Base, where he was interrogated and subsequently released, being able to return to Curarrehue the following day. C.- That on September 17, 1973, Juan Luis Díaz Cortez was detained again by Curarrehue Carabineros, by order of the lieutenant in charge of the station, Gonzalo Humberto Figueroa Nieto, this time along with his brother Luis René Díaz Cortez, Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, Rubén Enrique Leal Riquelme, Renato Ariel Saravia Flores, Baldomero Osvaldo Salazar Salgado, and other people, on the charge of being "activist-extremists." Subsequently, they were loaded into a vehicle and transported to the Pucón Carabineros sub-precinct, to later be transferred to the Tucapel Regiment in Temuco. In that place, they remained in a gymnasium located inside the military unit, and after some interrogations, they were taken to the public jail. D.- After 12 days of being deprived of liberty, Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, Rubén Enrique Leal Riquelme, Renato Ariel Saravia Flores, Baldomero Osvaldo Salazar Salgado, and other people were taken to testify before the Military Prosecutor's Office of Temuco, located inside the Tucapel Regiment, and were released days later without any charges having been filed against them, so they all returned to Curarrehue. In the case of Mr. Juan Luis Díaz Cortez, he was released at the end of September 1973 and decided to return to Curarrehue, where he had to report daily to the Carabineros of that commune. At that police unit, he was subjected to physical coercion every time he went there, such as kicks and punches or blows with the butt of the rifles carried by the uniformed officers, leaving his torso and face very swollen and bruised. On one occasion, he was detained and forced to fight with another person named Pedro Raín (deceased). For this, they were taken to the entrance hall of the station and forced to hold a bare-knuckle fight, after which they were released. Faced with the harassment suffered, Díaz Cortez decided to leave Curarrehue, requesting a safe-conduct to move to Temuco, which occurred on October 15, 1973. E.- That at the beginning of October 1973, Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, Rubén Enrique Leal Riquelme, Renato Ariel Saravia Flores, and Baldomero Osvaldo Salazar Salgado were detained again, this time by personnel of the Chilean Air Force, who, in a group of 4 to 5 officers, appeared at the school where the aforementioned teachers worked and led them on foot to the Curarrehue Carabineros station, where they proceeded to tie their hands and blindfold them. Immediately after, they were taken inside the stables of that police unit. F.- That once they entered the aforementioned facility, where there were more detainees lying on the floor, the victims in the case were subjected to interrogations and torture consisting of kicks and punches, blows to the stomach with rifle butts, and other humiliations such as forcing some of them to undress and sing while pretending to have a guitar in their hands, in addition to squeezing their testicles with their hands. G.- That during the interrogations, Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez recognized the voice of one of his jailers as that of a corporal from the Maquehua Air Base, a helicopter mechanic who had had a romantic relationship some time ago with a sister-in-law of the victim; it was the then-corporal Enrique Alberto Rebolledo Sotelo, who had also been in Curarrehue during the summer together with FACH Captain Benjamín Fernández Hernández, and they had stayed for some time at the school that was under his direction. Corporal Enrique Alberto Rebolledo Sotelo, mentioned above, at a certain moment when another member of the group of torturers wanted to shoot Humaña, took the victim by the arm and took him out of the place, whispering in his ear, "don't worry because you are with a friend," irrefutable proof of the bond that united them. H.- That the next day, the wife of Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, having learned of the presence of Captain Benjamín Fernández Hernández in the area, interceded with him on behalf of the detainees, after which they were all released. It should be noted that Minister Álvaro Mesa was appointed instructor of human rights violation cases for the Temuco Court of Appeals on September 27, 2011. Furthermore, as of March 1, 2017, he was appointed by the Supreme Court to substantiate human rights cases in the jurisdictions of the Valdivia Court of Appeals and the Puerto Montt Court of Appeals, with the cases corresponding to the Coyhaique Court of Appeals added on March 1, 2018. Currently, the minister is substantiating 172 cases, of which 147 are in the investigation stage; 25 are in the defense stage for the accused and, where appropriate, the filing of civil lawsuits; and 32 cases have been ruled upon, mostly with convictions.

Source: diarioconstitucional.cl, March 13, 2019

Former Carabineros officer sentenced for illegal detentions and torture in Curarrehue in 1973

The visiting minister for extraordinary human rights violation cases in the jurisdictions of Temuco, Valdivia, Puerto Montt, and Coyhaique, Álvaro Mesa Latorre, sentenced former Carabineros Colonel Gonzalo Humberto Figueroa Nieto and former Air Force Sergeant Major Enrique Alberto Rebolledo Sotelo to 5 years in prison as perpetrators of the crimes of illegal detention and unlawful coercion of seven political prisoners.

The illicit acts were perpetrated in September and October 1973 in the commune of Curarrehue. In the sentence (case roll 2-2012), the visiting minister convicted Figueroa Nieto, a Carabineros lieutenant at the time of the events, for his responsibility in the illegal detention of victims Juan Luis Díaz Cortez, Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, Rubén Enrique Leal Riquelme, Renato Ariel Saravia Flores, Baldomero Osvaldo Salazar Salgado, René Esteban Díaz Cortez, and Renato Santana Dubreuil.

Meanwhile, Rebolledo Sotelo was convicted for the unlawful coercion inflicted on Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, Rubén Enrique Leal Riquelme, Renato Ariel Saravia Flores, and Baldomero Osvaldo Salazar Salgado.

In the same ruling, Minister Mesa Latorre decreed the acquittal of Figueroa Nieto and retired Carabineros First Sergeant Héctor Guillermo Sepúlveda Chacón from the accusation that identified them as perpetrators of the unlawful coercion of Juan Luis Díaz Cortez.

Another accused Carabinero died during the course of the process. In the judicial investigation, it was established that, upon the military coup of September 1973, the Curarrehue Carabineros station was reinforced with a contingent from other detachments, all remaining under the command of the then-Carabineros Lieutenant Gonzalo Humberto Figueroa Nieto.

This officer immediately ordered the detention of numerous civilians, locals, and peasants, who were processed as prisoners in the police unit. Among these detainees is the case of Juan Luis Díaz Cortez, detained on September 13, who, upon being taken to the station, noted that numerous people from the town were already being held there, among whom he recognized Renato Santana Dubreuil, Luis Cid Hernández, and Benito Tapia, among others.

Subsequently, the detainees were transported in a pickup truck owned by the civilian Clorindo Mena (now deceased) from Curarrehue to the Pucón Carabineros sub-precinct, from where they were transferred to the 2nd Carabineros Precinct of Temuco.

Some detainees were then taken to the Maquehua Air Base to be interrogated and continue in their status as prisoners or be released. The detainee Díaz Cortez went through the entire ordeal and was later released, returning immediately to Curarrehue.

In this town, by order of Figueroa Nieto, he was arrested again on September 17 along with his brother René Díaz Cortez, Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, Rubén Enrique Leal Riquelme, Renato Ariel Saravia Flores, Baldomero Osvaldo Salazar Salgado, and other people, under the charge of being 'extremist activists.' Subsequently, they were loaded into a vehicle and transported to the Pucón Carabineros sub-precinct, to later be transferred to the Tucapel Regiment in Temuco.

In that place, they remained in a gymnasium located inside the military unit, and after some interrogations, they were taken to the public jail. After 12 days of remaining prisoners, Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, Rubén Enrique Leal Riquelme, Renato Ariel Saravia Flores, Baldomero Osvaldo Salazar Salgado, and other people were taken to testify before the Military Prosecutor's Office of Temuco located inside the Tucapel Regiment, and were released days later without any charges having been filed against them, so they all returned to Curarrehue.

In the case of Juan Luis Díaz Cortez, he was released at the end of September 1973 and returned immediately to Curarrehue, where he had to report daily to the Carabineros of that commune. At that police unit, he was subjected to physical and psychological coercion every time he went there; the constant harassment led him to request a safe-conduct to move to Temuco.

At the beginning of October 1973, teachers Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, Rubén Enrique Leal Riquelme, Renato Ariel Saravia Flores, and Baldomero Osvaldo Salazar Salgado were detained again, this time by personnel of the Chilean Air Force, who, in a group of 4 to 5 officers, appeared at the school where the aforementioned teachers worked and led them to the stables of the Curarrehue Carabineros station, where they proceeded to tie their hands and blindfold them.

In the aforementioned stables, where there were more detainees lying on the floor, the teachers were subjected to interrogations and torture consisting of kicks and punches, blows to the stomach with rifle butts, and various other humiliations.

During the interrogations, the detainee Manuel Antonio Humaña Jiménez, director of the school where he worked, recognized the voice of one of his jailers as that of a corporal from the Maquehua Air Base, a helicopter mechanic named Enrique Alberto Rebolledo Sotelo, who had had a romantic relationship with a sister-in-law of Manuel Humaña, and who had also been in Curarrehue during the previous summer together with FACH Captain Benjamín Fernández Hernández, and they had stayed for some time at the school that was under his direction.

In the following days, after pressure from the families of the prisoners, all the detainees were released.

Source: resumen.cl, June 7, 2022

Supreme Court confirms sentences of 18 former uniformed officers and 2 civilians for crimes and torture committed at the Air Base in Temuco in 1973

The Supreme Court rejected the appeals for cassation in form and substance filed against the sentence that convicted former military personnel and civilian staff who served at the time of the events at the Maquehua Air Base in Temuco, for their responsibility in the crimes of aggravated homicide of Hernán Henríquez Aravena and Alejandro Flores Rivera, both militants of the Communist Party; and the crimes of unlawful coercion applied to Jorge Silhi Zarzar, Víctor Hugo Painemal Arriagada, and Sergio Riquelme Inostroza, committed between September and October 1973 at the FACH facility.

In a unanimous ruling (case roll 14.483-2021), the Second Chamber of the highest court—composed of ministers Manuel Antonio Valderrama, Jean Pierre Matus, Minister María Cristina Gajardo, and acting lawyers Eduardo Morales and Ricardo Abuauad—confirmed the sentence that convicted former Air Force officers Leonardo Reyes Herrera and Luis Alberto Soto Pinto, and former non-commissioned officers of the same institution Crisóstomo Hugo Ferrada Carrasco, Enrique Alberto Rebolledo Sotelo, Heriberto Pereira Rojas, Jorge Aliro Valdebenito Isler, Jorge Eduardo Soto Herrera, and Luis Osmán Yáñez Silva, all to a penalty of 20 years in prison for their responsibility as perpetrators of the crimes. Meanwhile, the civilian individual Luis Raimundo Quezada Chandía must serve a sentence of 17 years in prison for his responsibility as a perpetrator of both aggravated homicides. Similarly, the civilian lawyer and former Military Prosecutor Óscar Alfonso Ernesto Podlech Michaud was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his responsibility as a perpetrator of the homicide of Hernán Henríquez Aravena. Meanwhile, former Air Force officer Pablo Aquiles Alister Contreras will serve a sentence of 4 years in prison as an accomplice to simple homicide and a cover-up of the unlawful coercion. In addition, former FACH officers Jaime Mauricio del Corazón de Jesús Echenique Seco, Aníbal Arturo Tejos Echeverría, Enrique Alcides Isaacs Casacuberta, Antonio Sergio Montserrats Mena, and Xavier Fernando Pérez Chávez were sentenced to 3 years and one day in prison, with the benefit of supervised release, for their responsibility as cover-ups of the crimes. Finally, the highest court, acting ex officio, substituted the sentences of 3 years and one day in prison imposed on Berthold Bohn Sauterel, Rodolfo Ernesto Schmied Callejón, Víctor Manuel Volante Leonardi, and Rogelio Olivares Torruella with intensive supervised release for the same period, as cover-ups of the crimes. The decision to substitute these custodial sentences with intensive supervised release ex officio was agreed upon with the dissenting vote of Minister Matus. Maquehua Base Helicopters During the investigation phase of the case, Minister Álvaro Mesa Latorre was able to prove that immediately after the military coup, an operational group of Air Force members was established at the Maquehua Air Base, to which reserve officers of the institution were also invited. This group carried out detentions of opponents of the military regime to then take them to the facility where they remained prisoners and were subjected to unlawful coercion. In parallel, various judicial processes were carried out in the offices of the Military Prosecutor's Office against the detainees, who were subjected to unlawful coercion and other inhuman, cruel, and degrading treatment. The victim, Hernán Henríquez Aravena, 35 years old, a surgeon and Zonal Director of Health of Temuco as of September 1973, was requested by the military authority of the time to appear before the Military Prosecutor's Office, located inside the 8th Infantry Regiment "Tucapel." On September 12, Henríquez appeared before the prosecutor's office and was then sent to his home. However, that same night, Carabineros from the 2nd Precinct of Temuco raided Hernán Henríquez's home, detained him, and transported him to the police unit. The next day, he was placed at the disposal of the Military Prosecutor's Office of Temuco, where his transfer to the city's jail was ordered, and subsequently, his total house arrest was ordered, with the express order to appear first thing on September 25 before the military court. However, on the night of September 24, Henríquez Aravena's house was raided again, this time by personnel of the Investigative Police who were attached to the Tucapel Regiment and who worked interchangeably for the Military Prosecutor's Office and the Second Intelligence Section. After a while, the patrol left the place. Later, another patrol appeared, this time from the 2nd Carabineros Precinct, who took Hernán Henríquez from his home, taking him away without giving any explanation. Alejandro Flores Rivera, 33 years old, a nursing assistant in the Psychiatry Department of the Regional Hospital of Temuco and President of the National Federation of Health Workers (Fenats), was requested via Communiqué No. 11 of September 12 to appear before the Military Prosecutor's Office. That day, Flores appeared before the prosecutor's office and was sent to his home. On October 5, 1973, the local military authority issued Communiqué No. 9, signed by the Commander of the Temuco Military Garrison, with which it intended to justify and cover up the murder of both detainees. The aforementioned communiqué stated: "Given the escape attempt planned by Alejandro Flores Rivera and in complicity with Hernán Henríquez Aravena while they were detained in the barracks of Helicopter Group No. 3, and in collusion with individuals from the outside who tried to help them, they were eliminated by the Guard."

by Darío Núñez

Source: resumen.cl, March 7, 2024