Original article: La otra cara de las rebajas de penas: Suprema no admite recurso para revertir libertad de ex-CNI condenado por cinco desapariciones

Supreme Court Denies Appeal to Reverse Release of Ex-CNI Agent Convicted for Five Forced Disappearances

The Supreme Court has rejected the protective action filed by the families of five victims of enforced disappearance during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, aiming to overturn the decree that permitted the release of former Central National Intelligence agent (CNI) César Acuña Luengo.

This action, represented by lawyers Francisco Bustos and Nelson Caucoto, contested the sentence reduction benefit granted to Acuña through a decree from the Ministry of Justice, signed on May 20, 2026.

The case of this former agent from the dictatorship is particularly sensitive. He was convicted by the same Supreme Court on March 21, 2017, to 10 years and one day in prison for the aggravated kidnappings of Julián Peña Maltés, Alejandro Pinochet Arenas, Manuel Sepúlveda Sánchez, Gonzalo Fuenzalida Navarrete, and Julio Muñoz Otárola — all members of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front who were arrested and disappeared in September 1987.

Additionally, in 2007, he received a three-year sentence for his involvement in Operation Albania. This event, also known as the «Corpus Christi massacre,» was an attack on opponents to Pinochet’s regime that took place in Santiago on June 15 and 16, 1987.

On May 20, Deputy Minister of Justice Pablo Mira Hurtado, acting as interim minister, was the one who signed the decree that reduced his sentence by 19 months.

It is noteworthy that on October 28, 2025, the First Chamber of the Santiago Court of Appeals had declared the appeal inadmissible, arguing that the evidence did not support facts protected by this route, as they did not violate or threaten «personal freedom or individual security,» in accordance with Article 21 of the Constitution.

«We Will Try All Legal Avenues»

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, lawyer Francisco Bustos indicated they will file a protection action before the Santiago Court of Appeals in an attempt to reverse César Acuña Luengo’s release from prison.

«We will try all legal avenues, both in Chilean courts and internationally,» he announced, as reported by ADN.

The lawyer representing the families of the five victims stated that the sentence reduction for Acuña constitutes a measure of impunity that violates constitutional norms and international treaties applicable to those convicted of crimes against humanity.

«A first setback does not mean we will relent in this effort,» he emphasized.