Original article: Celedón reprocha a Poduje freno a expropiación de Colonia Dignidad y advierte que “las víctimas no pueden ser ignoradas”
Independent Deputy Roberto Celedón criticized Housing Minister Iván Poduje for his decision to halt the expropriation of land in Colonia Dignidad, warning that «victims must not be ignored.»
In an interview with La Tercera, the minister explained that this move is due to a lack of available funds. «The urban portion alone is estimated at $47 billion. I don’t have that,» he stated.
According to Poduje, the decision made by the government of José Antonio Kast is not ideological but rather stems from a supposed «social priority,» suggesting that high-cost projects like the expropriation need to be reassessed.
«We are going to reverse the expropriation of Colonia Dignidad and will issue a decree that revokes the one that initiated the plan,» he said, dismissing the continuation of the process.
It is worth remembering that in July 2025, the administration of former President Gabriel Boric officially enacted measures affecting 117 hectares of the German enclave, marking a pivotal moment in the search for truth and justice for the victims of human rights abuses.
On that occasion, then-Ministers of Justice, Jaime Gajardo; Housing, Carlos Montes; and National Assets, Francisco Figueroa, finalized the signing of the expropriation decree for the former Colonia Dignidad, aiming to transform it into a site of memory and respond to a long-standing demand from human rights groups and families of victims of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship.
Deputy Celedón: «Victims Must Not Be Ignored»
In response to Minister Poduje’s statements, Deputy Celedón highlighted that the enclave was one of the most brutal centers of torture and disappearance in Chile’s history, labeling it «unacceptable» for the current government to annul its expropriation without prior consultation, only sharing this via press statements.
He asserted that «victims must not be ignored» and that the measure compromises not only public policy but also a historical demand for reparations.
Through a message shared on social media, he emphasized that «this is not just about resources, but about memory, justice, and dignity.»
The parliamentarian accompanied his remarks with a video in which he criticized Poduje’s announcement to reverse the expropriation without any consultation, overriding a decision made by President Boric’s government.
«This gentleman (Poduje), the Minister of Housing, states that he is going to nullify this for budgetary reasons, but the right thing to do is to first inform human rights organizations and the families of the victims of Colonia Dignidad about such a decision, because this is a collective demand from a part of Chile that was colonized by people of German descent, which was the center of the most brutal torture and disappearance practices our nation has ever known.
«Foreigners allied with the worst of the Chilean state, such as security agencies like DINA and CNI, who appropriated billions of pesos through clandestine arms sales. How much money did this state’s Ministry of Defense give to these people? Many aspects are completely unjustifiable,» Deputy Celedón argued in the recording.
