Two Former Chilean Army Officers Convicted for 1973 San Felipe Kidnappings and Executions of Six Detainees

Two retired Chilean Army servicemen have been convicted for the kidnapping and execution of six political detainees in the municipality of San Felipe at the outset of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in 1973.

Acting visiting minister for human rights cases at the Valparaíso Court of Appeals, Carolina Figueroa Chandía, sentenced then-officer and noncommissioned officer Raúl Orlando Pascual Navarro Quinta and Milton René Núñez Hidalgo to 10 years and one day in prison, as perpetrators of the crime of aggravated kidnapping against F.J.A.P., M.A.A., P.A.A.A., J.A.F.F., A.P.A., and W.R.S.S. The offenses were committed in October 1973 in the Las Coimas sector of the Valparaíso region.

In her ruling, Minister Figueroa rejected defense motions invoking res judicata, statute of limitations, and partial statute of limitations for the criminal action.

According to Resumen.Cl, during the trial the former servicemen argued the case was barred by res judicata, claiming it had already been examined by a court during the dictatorship.

However, the ruling determined that, «as a crime against humanity, under the American Convention on Human Rights and the Supreme Court jurisprudence cited, courts are required to apply the interpretive and normative human rights standards contained therein; therefore, the res judicata exception is dismissed».

Kidnapped and executed in 1973 in San Felipe

According to information published by the Memoria Viva portal, the six Communist Party members executed by Army personnel in the Las Coimas sector of San Felipe on October 11, 1973 were:

-M.A.A., 34, the mayor of Cabildo, was first detained on September 17, 1973 and later released without charges. «In early October, he was forced by the military authorities to publicly renounce his party membership at the Cabildo municipality before numerous witnesses. His second arrest occurred on October 8 at his home and was carried out by officers from the Cabildo police station,» the report notes.

-F.J.A.P., 26, who worked at the Sociedad Abastecedora de la Minería (SADEMI) and also served as the local Communist Party’s electoral and propaganda coordinator, was detained at his workplace on October 8, 1973 by Carabineros in Cabildo.

-W.R.S.S., 28, also worked at SADEMI in Cabildo and was detained at his workplace on the same day and under the same circumstances as F.J.A.P.

-A.P.A., 37, also a SADEMI employee, was detained at the same location by the same arresting officers, but one day later—on October 9, 1973.

-P.A.A.A, 27, served as the government-appointed administrator (interventor) of the La Patagua mine. He was first detained on September 11 and released without charges a week later. His second detention occurred on October 9, when he voluntarily presented himself at the Cabildo police station in response to a summons left at his home by officers from that unit.

-J.A.F.F , 24, who also worked for SADEMI, was detained in Cabildo by local Carabineros between October 9 and 10.

The decision establishes that “on October 8 and 9, 1973, the victims were detained by Carabineros in Cabildo without any judicial or administrative order. They were first taken to the La Ligua police station, then transferred to the San Felipe station—both belonging to Carabineros de Chile. On October 11 of that same year, a patrol composed of police personnel and Army soldiers from the Yungay Regiment removed them from the station, in compliance with a superior order, purportedly to transfer them to the Putaendo prison.”

However, “en route, in the area known as Las Coimas, they were taken out of the vehicle in which they were being transported and killed—executed by gunfire,” the Judiciary reported.