Original article: Familiares de Ejecutados Políticos exigen apurar expulsión de Fernández Larios para que enfrente la justicia en Chile
The Group of Families of Executed Political Prisoners (AFEP) issued a public statement following the detention of Armando Fernández Larios in the United States «for deportation purposes,» a fact that—according to the statement—once again highlights «the unrestricted validity of human rights» and the urgent need for truth and justice regarding crimes committed during the civil-military dictatorship.
In the text, AFEP argues that deportation appears to be «the most expedited route» for Fernández Larios to be tried in Chile. Therefore, they urge authorities to take «concrete and urgent actions» to ensure this measure is implemented «as soon as possible«, emphasizing that lengthy extradition processes have not achieved their goals and have «prevented» him from being brought back to the country to face justice.
Expulsion of Fernández Larios to Chile: the «most expedited route,» according to AFEP
The statement details that Fernández Larios—an ex-agent of the DINA—is linked to various incidents for which extradition requests exist, including cases of crimes committed in La Serena, Calama, and Pisagua. Additionally, he is judicially sought in connection with the murder of Spanish diplomat Carmelo Soria and the assassination of former Chancellor Orlando Letelier and his aide Ronni Moffitt.
The document also notes that Fernández Larios was sentenced to seven years by U.S. justice but «only served five months in prison due to a plea deal with prosecutors.» For the signing organizations, this new scenario opens «concrete hope» of breaking the impunity that they assert has persisted for decades.
“Guarantee of Non-Repetition”: Truth and Justice 52 Years Later
In the declaration, families emphasize that, 52 years after these events, they continue to fight «tirelessly» for justice that they argue has been denied to them. Their demand seeks to enshrine the principle of «guarantee of non-repetition«, calling for the state to act urgently to ensure Fernández Larios’s deportation to Chile so that the former agent can answer in court.
The document concludes by underscoring that this news «renews hopes for truth and justice» and has garnered support from various organizations and territorial groups, including the Group of Families of the Disappeared (AFDD), the National Association of Public Employees (ANEF), and the Confederation of Copper Workers (CTC), along with numerous national memory corporations and networks, which we detail below:
- Group of Families of the Disappeared of La Serena
- Group of Families of the Disappeared of Chillan
- Group of Families of the Disappeared of Concepción
- Group of Families of the Disappeared, Mulchén
- Group of Families of the Disappeared, Liquiñe
- Group of Families of the Disappeared of Parral
- Human Rights Group of Coyhaique
- Group of Families of the Disappeared and Executed Political Prisoners, Laja San Rosendo
- Group of Families of the Disappeared and Executed Political Prisoners of Paine
- Group of Families of the Disappeared and Executed Political Prisoners of the Araucanía Region.
- Group of Families of Executed Political Prisoners and Disappeared of Iquique and Pisagua.
- Group of Families of the Disappeared and Executed Political Prisoners of Talca.
- Group of Families of Executed Political Prisoners and Disappeared of Valparaíso
- Group of Families of the Disappeared and Executed Political Prisoners of Osorno
- Group of Families of Executed Political Prisoners and Disappeared of Antofagasta
- Group of Families of the Disappeared (AFDD)
- Group of Families of Executed Political Prisoners (AFEP)
- National Network of Memory Sites
- Borgoño Memory Corporation
- 3 and 4 Álamos Corporation
- PRAIS Permanent School
- Renacer PRAIS Organization in Ñuble
- National Corporation of Ex-Political Exiles of Chile
- National Association of Public Employees (ANEF)
- Confederation of Copper Workers (CTC)
- Collective of Women for Memory and Life
- Martin Luther King Ecumenical Community
- Observers for the Closure of the School of the Americas
