Original article: 115 organizaciones de DD.HH. rechazan ministros de Kast ligados a la defensa de Pinochet: denuncian “retroceso civilizatorio”

A total of 115 human rights organizations expressed their «deep concern and rejection» of the ministerial appointments announced by President José Kast, particularly those associated with figures involved in the legal defense of dictator Augusto Pinochet.

In a public statement released by memory and human rights organizations, the signatories directly questioned the appointment of Fernando Rabat as Minister of Justice and Human Rights and Fernando Barros as Minister of Defense.

“We express our total rejection of the appointment of Fernando Rabat as Minister of Justice and Human Rights, and Fernando Barros, lawyers who not only defended Augusto Pinochet and his family legally, but have also publicly denied, justified, and relativized human rights violations committed during the dictatorship,” the document states.

The organizations argue that those taking on responsibilities in key state ministries must meet particularly high ethical standards, especially in areas concerning memory, justice, and reparations.

“The recent history of our country must push for a high ethical, moral, and political framework for those who will lead strategic ministries, especially those directly linked to truth, justice, memory, and prevention of recurrence,” they add.

Kast’s Ministers Linked to Pinochet Defense

In the statement, the organizations detail the background that motivates their rejection of the appointments announced by the new government.

Regarding Fernando Barros, they recall his role as the founder of the law firm Barros & Errázuriz and his involvement in the defense of dictator Augusto Pinochet after his arrest in London in 1998.

In the case of Fernando Rabat, the groups indicate that he was part of the defense in emblematic judicial cases concerning Pinochet.

Among these, they mention the Colombo Operation, a scheme orchestrated by the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA) in 1975 to cover up the disappearance and execution of 119 political opponents, as well as the Riggs case, an investigation that sought to clarify the embezzlement of public funds attributed to the dictator.

The organizations also highlight Rabat’s involvement with the law firm Rodríguez, Vergara y Compañía, where he worked alongside Pablo Rodríguez Grez, founder of the far-right organization Patria y Libertad.

According to the document, this organization was involved in actions against President Salvador Allende‘s government and was linked to the assassination of then-Army commander-in-chief René Schneider.

Human Rights Organizations: «A Civilizational Regression»

For the signatory organizations, this background represents a concerning political signal regarding the new government’s commitment to human rights.

“These trajectories expose the future administration’s contempt for the history of this country, for the thousands of people who were tortured, imprisoned, exiled, disappeared, and executed by state agents during the dictatorship,” the declaration states.

The document characterizes the appointments as “a civilizational regression”, indicating that they could undermine advances made in memory, justice, and reparations since the return to democracy.

“This is a civilizational regression that we denounce emphatically, with the certainty that failing to do so endangers our democracy and jeopardizes the scarce advances in memory, justice, truth, and reparation that have been made since 1990,” they add.

Democratic Oversight by Human Rights Organizations

Finally, the groups reaffirmed their role in democratic oversight of the new government’s decisions.

“As human rights organizations, we reaffirm our legitimate role in democratic oversight and reiterate that the State of Chile has the inescapable duty to defend, promote, and guarantee human rights,” the statement notes.

The organizations conclude that the country must continue to advance in truth, justice, reparation, and memory, particularly regarding the legacy of impunity that still persists in Chile.

In total, 115 human rights, historical memory, and victims’ advocacy organizations from across the country signed the statement. The signatory groups represent collectives of relatives of the disappeared, former political prisoners, memorial organizations, and human rights promotion entities that collectively decided to publicly express their opposition to the disputed appointments.
Below is the complete list of inviting organizations that endorse the declaration.

Organizers:

• 1. National Coordinator of Relatives of Disappeared and Executed Political Prisoners
• 2. Association of Relatives of Executed Political Prisoners (AFEP)
• 3. National Network of Memory Sites
• 5. National Network of Survivors of the Social Outburst
• 6. Corporation for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights UNIDAS
• 7. Ethical Commission Against Torture
• 8. CODEPU

Endorsers:

• 1. Cultural, Social, and Sports Group of Former Political Prisoners of Rancagua
• 2. Human Rights Group IV Region
• 3. Human Rights and Memory Sites Group of Macul
• 4. Group of Former Minors from Antofagasta
• 5. Group of Former Minors from Antofagasta, Victims of Torture and Imprisonment
• 6. Group of Former Political Prisoners of La Araucanía «Enrique Pérez Rubilar»
• 7. Group of Former Political Prisoners and Relatives, Valdivia
• 8. Group of Former Political Prisoners, Antofagasta
• 9. Group of Relatives of Disappeared Persons, Liquiñe
• 10. Group of Relatives and Friends of Executed Political Prisoners and Disappeared Persons from Historical Memory in Antofagasta
• 11. Popular Memory Group El Bosque (Memory Site Base Aérea El Bosque).
• 12. Memory and Human Rights Group of El Bosque
• 13. Democratic Women’s Group
• 14. Group of Prosecutors Salvador Allende from Valparaíso
• 15. Group of PRAIS Users from Los Ríos
• 16. Group of PRAIS Users from SSMSur.
• 17. Group of Former Minors from Valparaíso
• 18. Popular Memory Group El Bosque
• 19. Group Nelson Manríquez, all together for Taltal
• 20. Group for Memory, Culture, and Heritage, Lanco-Malalhue
• 21. Group for Memory Sites and Human Rights Lo Espejo
• 22. Group for Memory Sites and Human Rights Lo Espejo
• 23. Group PRAIS Users
• 24. Assembly We Are Feminist Fire, Chiapas, Mexico
• 25. Association «AYÜN» V Region
• 26. Violeta Parra Cultural Association in Oslo, Norway
• 27. Popular Library Guillermo López
• 28. Memory House José Domingo Cañas
• 29. CCDDHH del litoral.
• 30. Cultural Center 119 Hopes
• 31. Cultural Center Museum and Memory of Neltume
• 32. Chile Awoke Quebec-Canada
• 33. Chilean Canadian Foundation of Edmonton, Canada
• 34. CINTRAS, Center for Mental Health and Human Rights
• 35. Collective 11deSeptiembreChile-Montreal
• 36. Cultural Artistic Collective Memory of the Northern Grande of Antofagasta
• 37. Collective The Watermelon. Anti-colonial solidarity.
• 38. Regional Collective of Human Rights Gonzalo Muñoz, Rancagua
• 39. School of Social Workers in Chile
• 40. Independent Neighborhood Command, Parque Almagro.
• 41. Chilean Human Rights Commission
• 42. Chilean Human Rights Commission of Viña del Mar
• 43. Human Rights Commission College of Psychologists in Chile
• 44. Human Rights Commission College of Social Workers
• 45. Human Rights Commission Quillota
• 46. Human Rights Commission of San Joaquín: «For Historical Memory».
• 47. Ethical Commission Against Torture
• 48. Independent Human Rights Commission of Tocopilla
• 49. NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORKERS OF CHILE
• 50. National Commission on Human Rights Chile-Sweden
• 51. Committee for Human Rights and Memory Front Broad
• 52. Human Rights Committee of the coast
• 53. Committee for a Dignified Chile – Norway
• 54. [email protected]
• 55. Coordinadora de Apañe
• 56. Coordinator of Human Rights and Memory Santiago
• 57. National Coordinator of Relatives of Disappeared and Executed Political Prisoners
• 58. Association of Relatives of Executed Political Prisoners
• 59. Coordinator of victims of ocular trauma
• 60. Corporation Artists Pro-Ecology
• 61. Corporation Casa Varas Mena 417 SJ
• 62. Corporation Collective South, Memory and Dignity- Valdivia
• 63. Historical Settlers Corporation of the Cordillera de Futrono
• 64. Corporation Memory Borgoño
• 65. Corporation Memorial Chacabuco
• 66. Corporation Memorial Paine
• 67. Human Rights of the Central Coast
• 68. Mapuche Diaspora Xomo Mapuche
• 69. Eliana Aguilera Saavedra
• 70. Erica Araya Ardiles
• 71. Former political prisoners from the Antofagasta prison
• 72. Chilean former political prisoners in the United Kingdom
• 73. Exiled in France
• 74. Former minors victims of political imprisonment and torture
• 75. Human Rights Front of Santiago Salvador Allende, Communist Party of Chile
• 76. Julio Guerra Olivares Foundation
• 77. Salvador Allende Group
• 78. Londres 38, memory space
• 79. Margarita Carvallo Prenafeta, community leader from Santiago. College of Teachers of Chile
• 80. Feminist Doctors Chile (MEDIFEM)
• 81. Collective Memories of Biobío
• 82. Migrant Action Movement
• 83. Women of Historic Mourning Arica Chike
• 84. Women Memory and Human Rights Arica, Memory Site Ex Public Jail of Arica
• 85. Women for justice and against impunity.
• 86. Do Not Let Us Go
• 87. Guaranteed Observers of Human Rights in Chile
• 88. Citizen Observatory
• 89. ODEUCH
• 90. NGO EXIL Chile
• 91. NGO Observa Human Rights Los Ríos
• 92. Organization Women Memory and Human Rights Arica
• 93. Puente Alto representative of CChDH
• 94. Insurgent Radio from the Barrancas de Pudahuel
• 95. RAPMO Network for the Support of the Mapuche People and other indigenous peoples – Norway
• 96. Network for Support of Political Prisoners in Chile (RIAPPECH)
• 97. Network of Migrant Organizations and Pro Migrants
• 98. National network of memory sites
• 99. National Union of Artists and Dance Workers
• 100. Memory Site Tobalaba Aerodrome
• 101. Memory Site Casa de Piedra – former CNI barracks
• 102. Memory Site Colón 636 Punta Arenas.
• 103. Memory Site hermanos Rodríguez, El Bosque
• 104. Memory Site Irán 3037
• 105. Memory Site Miraflores 724, Temuco
• 106. Memory Site Former Women’s Jail Buen Pastor de La Serena
• 107. Survivors of Tejas Verdes