On December 15, 1989, during a demonstration celebrating the victory of Mr. Patricio Aylwin in the presidential elections, 23-year-old Sebastián Rodrigo RIVAS OVALLE died.

The events took place in the Escuela México sector (Valdivia), where members of the Carabineros arrived. The protesters decided not to flee, but according to a witness, "Sebastián was singled out because he was wearing the t-shirt (the one for the Aylwin campaign)"; subsequently, according to the same accounts, he was beaten by the Carabineros.

He arrived home with signs of blows all over his body. The following day, he was taken to a hospital, where he died due to a hemorrhagic contusion, meningoencephalitis, and traumatic brain injury, according to the death certificate.

The Carabineros' version was that violent incidents had occurred, prompting the intervention of public forces, and that it was possible the affected individual had received a baton strike, but that there were also other possible causes for the injuries under those circumstances, independent of the actions of the Carabineros.

Even if there had been some need for intervention by the Carabineros in this case, the Commission, weighing the gathered evidence, particularly the testimonies of those closest to the events, presumes that State agents violated the right to life of Rodrigo Rivas by using excessive force.