René Burdiles Almonacid, 21 years old at the time of the events, an agricultural worker, union leader, and member of MAPU, was detained on September 16, 1973, by Carabineros from the Puerto Octay police station, where he had presented himself voluntarily accompanied by his mother.

The previous day, he had been sought at his home, where he lived with his parents and sister, by Carabineros from the Puerto Octay station under the command of Lieutenant Juan Ríos Villalobos. Upon learning that the young man was not at home at that moment, they proceeded to raid the residence and then notified his father, Ruperto Burdiles Gutiérrez, that they would come to look for him again that night if he did not present himself at the police station.

In the afternoon, upon René’s return, the family told him what had happened, and they waited for the Carabineros. Given that they did not arrive, they decided to travel to Puerto Octay. To do so, they hired the services of a local neighbor who owned a vehicle, who, on the morning of September 16, transported René Burdiles and his mother, María Verónica Almonacid, to Puerto Octay.

Once in that town, both went to the police station and entered together. Upon seeing him, Lieutenant Ríos commented, "Here comes another communist!" and ordered him to enter; he dismissed his mother without providing any explanation.

The following day, Mrs. María Almonacid went to the police station again to ask about her son. There, she was told that he had been released, which was not true. Subsequently, the family learned that the affected individual had been transferred from the station in a Carabinero vehicle to the Third Police Precinct of Osorno along with other detainees: Jorge Ladio Altamirano Vargas and Lucio Hernán Angulo Carrillo, who remain forcibly disappeared to this day, and four employees of the Puerto Octay hospital: Adrián Levín, Sergio Miranda, Angel Oyarzún, and Miguel Barrientos, who were released on September 18, 1973.

The relatives continued the search in various police and detention facilities in Osorno. At the Third Police Precinct, they were informed on September 20, 1973, that his name appeared on the lists of detainees, but that he had already been released.

At the Investigations Headquarters, an official described René Burdiles by his physical characteristics and the clothing he was wearing when he was detained, which suggests that he saw him at some point, but he provided no further information.

In other words, the efforts made by the family did not yield any results that would clarify the fate of René Burdiles; the last known information about him is that he was seen by other detainees during his transfer to Osorno and upon arriving at the Third Police Precinct of that city. After this, no further information is known.

JUDICIAL AND/OR ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS

The victim's father filed a complaint for alleged disappearance at the 2nd Civil Court of Osorno on October 29, 1973, which was registered under No. 36 B.

Subsequently, during the process, the lawyer who sponsored the complaint indicated that it led to a complete investigation that yielded no results and was dismissed and archived. When requesting the Court to send that complaint, they responded that there is indeed a record of its presentation but not of its entry.

In 1979, in compliance with the agreement of the Extraordinary Plenary of the Supreme Court of March 21 of the same year, the Court of Appeals of Valdivia ordered the initiation of proceedings for the alleged disappearance of 11 people, among them, René Burdiles. A criminal complaint filed on May 31, 1979, was added to this case, roll 22,745 of the First Civil Court of Osorno.

Witness statements during the process made it possible to determine that, indeed, René Burdiles was transferred on the same day of his detention from the Puerto Octay police station to the Third Police Precinct of Osorno in a police vehicle along with other political prisoners and that, once they entered the Precinct, they were separated into two groups: in one of them were the hospital employees who were released two days later, and in the other was the affected individual and two other people; Jorge Altamirano Vargas and Lucio Angulo Carrillo, all three of whom are forcibly disappeared.

Official detention data could not be obtained, as both the police station and the Third Police Precinct reported that the records from 1973 had been incinerated, and the Military Prosecutor's Office indicated that, after reviewing the relevant documents, his name was not found; the Osorno Prison reported the same.

Despite not having carried out all the proceedings requested in the complaint, the Judge in charge of the case determined, on October 22, to close the summary and dismiss the case. Upon appeal of this resolution, the Court of Appeals of Valdivia revoked it on December 6, considering the investigation incomplete, and added that there was negligence on the part of the Judge in processing the case.

Mrs. Juana González Inzunza was appointed as Extraordinary Visiting Minister, who took office at the First Civil Court of Osorno on December 11, 1979.

Once the investigation was restarted, it was established, through specific proceedings, that there was no death or burial record for René Burdiles, that the Ministry of the Interior had not issued any order against him, and that he had no record of travel nor any impediment to leaving the country.

When summoned, the Investigations inspector, Luis Chávez H., who had physically described the detainee and his clothing, declared that he did not know him and had never seen him; he added that the Investigations Service did not hold political prisoners, but that the Military Prosecutor's Office operated in the same police facility in independent rooms "where they conducted interrogations and, once these were completed, they transferred them to the detention centers that had been installed for that time."

For his part, Major Juan Ríos Villalobos, who in September 1973 was the Lieutenant in charge of the Puerto Octay police station, declared that he does not remember having known or detained René Burdiles, although, he points out, "it is possible that he was detained along with other people." Later confronted with the victim's father and the Puerto Octay hospital employees detained on the same date, he reiterated that he did not remember him and said he had not detained the other people, although he was responsible for all detentions carried out by the personnel under his command.

Three other Carabineros, who belonged to the staff of the station in September 1973, also declared that they did not know or remember the young man.

It should be noted that, when the request was made to send the complaint for alleged disappearance filed in October 1973, the 2nd Civil Court of Osorno responded that indeed in the Court's Logbook of 1973, there is a record that on October 30, 1973, "there exists a complaint regarding the alleged disappearance of Ruperto Burdiles with roll No. 36 B and that, having reviewed the Criminal Entry book, there is no record of the entry of the alleged disappearance."

Source: Corporation report

Long years of waiting for the decision of the justice system.

Finally, the criminal trial followed mainly against the most ruthless criminal, a serial killer who operated in a Carabinero uniform in the Los Ríos and Los Lagos regions, has come to an end; this is Colonel (R) Adrián José Fernández Hernández.

I knew him closely, as he spent almost two years as an assistant Lieutenant in the Osorno Intendencia (71-72). From there, he was promoted to captain and took over the 3rd Precinct of Rahue. After the military coup, several popular leaders chose to surrender at the Rahue Precinct (upon being called in military edicts), trusting that they would be "attended to" by someone in whom they had a certain degree of trust.

Nothing more was ever heard of them (forcibly disappeared). Fernández has been sentenced ONLY TO FIFTEEN YEARS IN PRISON for being the author of the qualified kidnapping of: 1. Santiago Domingo Aguilar Duhau, 2.

César Osvaldo del Carmen Ávila Lara, 3. José Mateo Segundo Vidal Panguilef, 4. José Ligorio Neicul Paisil, 5. Flavio Humberto Valderas Mansilla, 6. Lucio Hernán Ángulo Carrillo, 7. Jorge Ladio Altamirano Vargas, 8.

René Burdiles Almonacid, 9. Joel Fierro Inostroza, 10. José Ricardo Huenumán Huenumán, 11. Luis Sergio Aros Huichacán, 12. Arturo Jesús Valderas Angulo, 13. José Rosario Segundo Panguinamún Ailef, 14. Guillermo Ernesto Peters Casas, and 15.

Mario Fernández Acum. For also being the author of the qualified homicide of: 16. Raúl Santana Alarcón, 17. Gustavo Igor Sporman, 18. Martín Núñez Rosas, 19. Jorge Ricardo Aguilar Cubillos, 20. Edgardo Eugenio Cárdenas Gómez, and 21.

Ester Bustamante Llancamín, For also being the author of qualified homicide in the frustrated degree of Blanca Ester Valderas Garrido. For finally being the author of torture against the following political prisoners: 1.

Carlos Hurtado Gallardo, 2. Juan Bernabé Igor Sporman, 3. Luis Orlando Oliveros Angulo, 4. Luis Armando Vargas Coñuel, 5. Juan Orlando Aguilar Angulo, 6. René Orlando Llanquilef Llanquilef, 7. Eliecer Rolando Reyes Gallardo, 8.

Ida Ester Torres Santana, and 9. Leandro Sanhueza Flores. In other words, for being the author of the crime of fifteen qualified kidnappings (forcibly disappeared), author of six qualified homicides (political executions), author of another qualified homicide in the frustrated degree, and author of crimes of torture against nine political prisoners, the murderer and torturer ADRIÁN JOSÉ FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ has been sentenced to serve only a sentence of FIFTEEN YEARS IN PRISON.

One more example of JUSTICE WITH CLEMENCY, "to the extent possible." FOR ITS PART, the State of Chile has not compensated the families or the surviving victims. As a lawyer, I sponsored the complaints for the nine cases of torture included in the conviction of Fernández.

It is worth imagining that I personally could have been one more case among the forcibly disappeared. Indeed, by order of Commissioner Fernández, I was detained on 09.13.1973, at my home, in a Carabinero operation, and I spent 24 hours in the cells of the Rahue Carabinero Precinct.

The police report filed by Fernández was the reason I was sentenced in a War Council in Osorno. The terrible torture to which he subjected Mr. Juan Orlando Aguilar Angulo (RIP) was intended to make him testify, imputing terrorist actions and alleged possession of explosives to me that could justify a death sentence against me.

Fortuitous circumstances prevented it. Finally, after two years in prison, I was expelled from Chile with a sentence of banishment. I was able to return from exile, from Sweden, in 1997. The criminal Adrián Fernández Hernández is still free on bail. Fraternal greetings, Víctor Rosas Vergara Lawyer and Vice President of the UNExPP of Chile NGO Union of Former Political Prisoners of Chile

Source: piensachile.com 2014