Wilson Alfredo Becerra Cifuentes, married, father of 2, a peasant leader and member of the Socialist Party, was detained on October 11, 1973, along with brothers Gustavo and Tomás Domínguez Jara, by Carabineros officers who violently raided the Ranquil Settlement (today Fundo Victoria) in the town of San Nicolás, Chillán, illegally seizing the settlement's documentation and cash box.

The police, who were traveling in 4 jeeps, took out a list they were carrying and called the 3 workers, whom they beat brutally in the presence of the other agricultural workers. Later, they were forced into a jeep used by Carabineros from the San Nicolás Station and taken to an unknown destination.

Among the arresting officers were Carabineros with the surnames Méndez and Sáez, from the aforementioned station.

Following the detention, his spouse Juana Lidia Morales Vergara, who was 7 months pregnant with their second child, made multiple efforts to find out where her husband was being held, but could not ascertain anything concrete.

She visited detention centers throughout the province and even in the city of Concepción, but obtained no news about her spouse or his friends detained with him, who remain forcibly disappeared to this day. As a result of the detention of Wilson Becerra Cifuentes, Mrs. Juana Morales Vergara, who was illiterate, was left in a very precarious situation of extreme poverty.

The Rettig Report stated that it was possible he had been killed in the area of the Puente El Ala, where at least the remains of 9 bodies were found in December 1973. Only 2 or 3 of them were identified. All the bodies were tied with wire, and those identified had been detained by Carabineros.

JUDICIAL AND/OR ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS

In October 1978, his spouse filed a recurso de amparo (writ of habeas corpus) before the Chillán Court of Appeals, case file 104.888, in which she set forth the circumstances of her husband's arrest. The appeal was rejected on November 21 of that year, based on the report from the Ñuble Military Prosecutor's Office stating that the person in question had not been placed at the disposal of that court and no arrest warrant had been issued against him; and the report from the Carabineros of the San Nicolás Station stating that Wilson Becerra had not been detained or registered in that detachment's guard books during 1973. Notwithstanding the above, the Court forwarded the records to the Criminal Judge of San Carlos in order to initiate a summary proceeding for alleged disappearance.

On November 27, 1978, the Judge initiated the summary proceeding, assigning it case file 41.580. In the investigation order carried out by the Investigative Service, Juana Lidia Morales Vergara was interviewed; she ratified the terms and circumstances of her spouse's arrest, adding that he was a sympathizer of the Socialist Party.

Agricultural workers at the Ranquil Settlement at that time, Mario Moreno Molina and Juan Morales Correa, were also interviewed and confirmed the characteristics of the events that affected Wilson Becerra.

In February 1979, the Judge interrogated all these individuals, who ratified what they had said to the Investigative Service. Subsequently, and after receiving the victim's affiliation extract, the Judge, on June 9, 1979, temporarily dismissed the case on the grounds that the existence of a crime had not been established.

This resolution was approved by the Chillán Court of Appeals, despite the fact that there is no indication in the proceedings that steps were taken to identify the Carabineros who were serving at the San Nicolás Station at the time of the events; nor that case file 41.579, which investigated the alleged disappearance of the Domínguez Jara brothers—detained along with the victim—had been reviewed.

In the processing of that case, Carabineros First Corporal Demetrio Méndez Lagos testified and acknowledged having acted in the operation in which the two Domínguez brothers were arrested, claiming they were released after being interrogated by the Captain in charge. This is an implausible assertion, as both brothers, along with Wilson Becerra, remain forcibly disappeared.

Source: Corporation report

At least 17 people were reportedly victims of political execution at the Puente El Ala located over the Ñuble River during the military dictatorship. This human rights violation is commemorated every August 30 on the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances and, in Chile, on the Day of the Forcibly Disappeared.

The right to truth, justice, and reparation seeks to be symbolically recognized with the declaration of the Memorial located next to the bridge as a National Historic Monument.

“This is a very important milestone for us. Today we delivered the file for the Memorial to be declared a National Historic Monument; we want it to be recognized as a site of historical memory. We are also happy because the State is fulfilling its role of social and moral reparation to the victims and their families,” expressed the representative of the Culture, Memory, and Human Rights Board, Teresa Retamal Silva, at the ceremony held alongside the Regional Ministerial Secretariat (Seremi) of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage of Ñuble at the foot of the sculpture that remembers the disappeared.

For the Seremi of Cultures, Scarlet Hidalgo Jara, “it is an honor to receive this request, and we will make the arrangements with the National Monuments Council for its review as soon as possible. As the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, we are happy to be able to accompany all the human rights organizations present in the region as a State institution.”

“The government of President Gabriel Boric has committed to continuing to advance in matters of justice, truth, and reparation. We want this space to be a place of remembrance, but also of meeting, commemoration, and memory. A country without history is a country without identity and without a future,” added the presidential regional delegate, Claudio Ferrada Alarcón.

The ceremony of commemoration and delivery of the request file to declare the Puente El Ala Memorial a National Historic Monument was full of symbolism: art was present with the participation of singer-songwriter Osvaldo Alveal and the dramatized reading of the play “El reloj de agua” by the actresses and actors of Sidarte Ñuble.

This piece of dramaturgical research, which premiered in 2012 with funding from the Culture Funds, recounts the incessant search by the parents of Patricio Weitzel for their son, who was kidnapped and found along with 14 murdered bodies in the bed of the Ñuble River in 1974.

Artists Blanca Fuentes, Romina Romero, Catalina Castro, Dafne Dubott, Pablo Dubott, Gabriel Ramos, Ricardo Rodríguez, Juan Ferrada, and Pedro Villagra participated.

In addition, the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) presented native trees to the families of those executed and forcibly disappeared at Puente El Ala. Under the “Tree of Memory” initiative, it symbolized the delivery of life to communities that have suffered the pain of death. In this case, due to abuses, political repression, and/or crimes against humanity.

The ceremony culminated with the offering of 100 carnations thrown into the Ñuble River in memory of the victims of human rights violations during the dictatorship by the attendees, among whom were relatives of the forcibly disappeared and regional authorities: Seremi of Justice Elizabeth Riquelme, Seremi of Health Ximena Salinas, Seremi of Housing and Urbanism Antonio Marchant, Seremi of Labor Natalia Lépez, Seremi of Economy Erick Solo del Záldivar, and Seremi of Transport Javier Isla, and Seremi of Environment Mario Rivas.

The provincial presidential delegate of Punilla, Rocío Hizmeri, and the protocol mayor of Chillán, Brígida Hormazábal, also participated.

Memorial Puente El Ala is a site of memory, reflection, and contemplation, located on the road to Portezuelo in the commune of San Nicolás, which, on its northwest side, has a memorial 10 meters high, 4 meters wide, and 3 meters deep in tribute to the forcibly disappeared and executed of Puente El Ala.

The memorial was inaugurated on December 1, 1996, and is the work of Chilean sculptor Sandra Santander, who used steel and rails, a concrete and steel base, and a granite stone plaque for its construction, on which is inscribed: “To our children, husbands, fathers, and brothers who lived with dignity and simplicity and who nevertheless contained the firmament.

Remember, you who pass by, that here no one, nothing, and no one is forgotten (Raúl Zurita). In memory of the forcibly disappeared and executed of Puente El Ala. December 1996.”

SEREMI of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage of Ñuble

Source: chillanonline.cl 8/31/2022

Date: 08-31-2022

Minister Aldana Issues Indictment Against Retired Carabineros General for Homicides and Kidnappings in 1973 in Chillán

The minister on extraordinary assignment for human rights violation cases of the Courts of the jurisdictions of Concepción and Chillán, Carlos Aldana Fuentes, issued an indictment against retired Carabineros General Patricio Enrique Jeldres Rodríguez for his responsibility in two consummated crimes of qualified homicide, six consummated crimes of qualified kidnapping, and one consummated crime of aggravated kidnapping.

These illicit acts were perpetrated between September and December 1973 in the commune of Chillán.

In the resolution (case file 6-2017 and accumulated cases), Minister Aldana Fuentes accused Jeldres Rodríguez, who was a Carabineros lieutenant at the time of the events, as the perpetrator of the qualified homicides of Patricio Lautaro Weizel Pérez and Gabriel Marcelo Cortez Luna; the qualified kidnappings of Ricardo Troncoso León, Arturo Lorenzo Prat Martí, José Gregorio Retamal Velásquez, Robinson Ramírez del Prado, Leopoldo López Rivas, and Mario Fernando Moreno Castro; and the aggravated kidnapping of Juan Mauricio Poblete Tropa.

In addition, he accused civilian Juan Antonio Sepúlveda Peña as an accomplice in the aggravated kidnapping of Troncoso León. Finally, Minister Aldana resumed the processing of case file 8-2017 (accumulated with 6-2017), in which Jeldres Rodríguez is identified as the perpetrator of the crimes of qualified kidnapping of Gustavo Domínguez Jara, Wilson Becerra Cifuentes, and Tomás Domínguez Jara.

These illicit acts were committed starting on October 11, 1973, in the commune of Chillán.

Source: ladiscucion.cl 5/23/2022

Date: 05-23-2022

Retired Carabineros Colonel Prosecuted for 3 Qualified Kidnappings in Ñuble Province

The minister on extraordinary assignment for human rights violation cases of the Concepción Court of Appeals, Carlos Aldana, has prosecuted retired Carabineros Colonel Patricio Enrique Jeldres Rodríguez as the perpetrator of the consummated crime of qualified kidnapping of brothers Gustavo Efraín and Tomás Rogelio Domínguez Jara and Wilson Alfredo Becerra Cifuentes, an illicit act committed on October 11, 1973.

This is one of nine human rights violation cases that were being investigated in Chillán and were reassigned to him by decision of the Supreme Court.

According to the gathered evidence, it was determined that around 4:00 PM on October 11, 1973, a Carabineros patrol from the Second Precinct of Chillán, commanded by then-Lieutenant Patricio Jeldres, all armed with submachine guns and in combat gear, went to the commune of San Nicolás.

They were met by local Carabineros and, under the orders of Lieutenant Jeldres, proceeded to the “Ránquil” Peasant Settlement—today Fundo Victoria—which worked on the land explored by the CORA.

“(…) where they proceeded to detain several of its leaders, who were tortured for several hours—submerged in a pool of water, subjected to electric shocks, and beaten on their bodies—all in the presence of their families, including minors.

Then, at dusk, they took Gustavo Efraín and Tomás Rogelio Domínguez Jara and Wilson Alfredo Becerra Cifuentes to the entrance of the 'Puente El Ala' over the Ñuble River, where they were last seen alive, a date from which all news of their whereabouts or destination is unknown,” the resolution indicated.

The magistrate also led a scene reconstruction of the “Ránquil”-San Nicolás peasant settlement episode (Case File 8-2017) this Monday, in which the disappearance of the three peasant leaders occurred.

“It has been important, since the witnesses have recreated what they stated in their testimonies, which have been contrasted with the buildings and other evidence from the crime scene, so what has been done on this occasion is quite relevant for the process,” he indicated.

On the other hand, Minister Aldana detailed that he will maintain active work in the Ñuble province during the months of May and June of this year. “Next week there are two scene reconstructions for two different cases and, subsequently, a third in another process,” he concluded.

The magistrate took over the human rights violation investigation cases of the Chillán Court of Appeals last March, following the reassignment of cases determined by the Supreme Court.

Source: tribunadelbiobio.cl, Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Date: 05-17-2017

Former Carabineros Colonel Prosecuted for Crimes Against Three Peasants in Ránquil in 1973

The minister on extraordinary assignment for human rights violation cases of the Concepción Court of Appeals, Carlos Aldana, has prosecuted former Carabineros Colonel Patricio Enrique Jeldres Rodríguez as the perpetrator of the consummated crime of qualified kidnapping of brothers Gustavo Efraín Domínguez Jara, 27, and Tomás Rogelio Domínguez Jara, 23, and Wilson Alfredo Becerra Cifuentes, 25 years of age, an illicit act committed on October 11, 1973.

According to the evidence gathered in the investigation, it was determined that around 4:00 PM on October 11, 1973, a Carabineros patrol from the Second Precinct of Chillán, commanded by then-Lieutenant Patricio Jeldres, all armed with submachine guns and in combat gear, went to the commune of San Nicolás.

They were met by local Carabineros and, under the orders of Lieutenant Jeldres, proceeded to the “Ránquil” Peasant Settlement—today Fundo Victoria—which worked on the land exploited by the CORA.

“(…) where they proceeded to detain several of its leaders, who were tortured for several hours—submerged in a pool of water, subjected to electric shocks, and beaten on their bodies—all in the presence of their families, including minors.

Then, at dusk, they took Gustavo Efraín and Tomás Rogelio Domínguez Jara and Wilson Alfredo Becerra Cifuentes to the entrance of the “Puente El Ala” over the Ñuble River, where they were last seen alive, a date from which all news of their whereabouts or destination is unknown,” the resolution indicated.

Magistrate Aldana Fuentes led a scene reconstruction of the “Ránquil”-San Nicolás peasant settlement episode (Case File 8-2017) today, May 15, in which the disappearance of the three peasant leaders occurred.

“It has been important, since the witnesses have recreated what they stated in their testimonies, which have been contrasted with the buildings and other evidence from the crime scene, so what has been done on this occasion is quite relevant for the process,” he indicated.

On the other hand, Minister Aldana detailed that he will maintain active work in the Ñuble province during the months of May and June of this year. “Next week there are two scene reconstructions for two different cases and, subsequently, a third in another process,” he concluded.

The magistrate took over the human rights violation investigation cases of the Chillán Court of Appeals last March, following the reassignment of cases determined by the Supreme Court.

During the extremely slow processing of this case, in November 2012, Jeldres Rodríguez benefited from a resolution by Minister Claudio Arias of the Chillán Court, who decided to dismiss the case of the kidnapping and disappearance of these three peasants; however, the Concepción Court of Appeals ordered the case to be reopened, which, processed by Minister Arias, has not advanced at all.

Claudio Arias is one of those cases of staunch reactionaries dedicated to protecting and benefiting criminals from the position of power represented by his role as a judicial official.

Despite Arias, due to a Supreme Court conviction in January 2014, Jeldres Rodríguez is also serving a sentence for the qualified kidnapping of peasants Sergio Enrique Cádiz Cortés and Gilberto de la Cruz Pino Baeza, leaders of the Santa Rita settlement in the town of Cato, in Chillán.

In other cases in which this consummate criminal in uniform has been implicated, he has remained unpunished, until now.

Source: resumen.cl, May 16, 2017

Date: 05-16-2017

Retired Non-Commissioned Officer Prosecuted for Disappearance of Agricultural Workers

The First Court of Letters of San Carlos has prosecuted a retired Carabineros non-commissioned officer for his alleged participation as a perpetrator in the disappearance of three agricultural workers from Ránquil, which occurred on October 11, 1973.

The former Carabinero, Manuel Castillo Oliva, allegedly led the patrol that detained brothers Gustavo and Tomás Domínguez Jara, as well as Wilson Becerra Cifuentes, leaders of the Ranquil settlement, formerly the La Victoria estate, who were detained and tortured, after which their trail was lost, indicated Ignacio Marín Correa, a lawyer for the Human Rights Program of the Ministry of the Interior.

The retired non-commissioned officer was arrested by the Investigative Police in the city of Temuco, Ninth Region, where he resided, and remains detained at the San Carlos Penitentiary Compliance Center.

His lawyer, Ingrid Landero, appealed the resolution of Judge Angel Coria Ricotti to the Chillán Court of Appeals.

Source: August 20, 2005, La Discusión

Date: 08-20-2005