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Chilean authorities have filed a legal complaint against those responsible for the illegal burial of at least 110 people, as well as the subsequent exhumation of many of the bodies during an operation known as “Retiro de televisores.”
- Historical Complaint Filed Over Illegal Burials
Chile’s Subsecretaría de Derechos Humanos (Undersecretariat of Human Rights) has brought a case before the Corte de Apelaciones de San Miguel (San Miguel Court of Appeals) concerning the illegal burial and exhumation of at least 110 victims in Cuesta Barriga. The actions are attributed to agents of the Chilean dictatorship between 1973 and 1977, and are part of the Plan Nacional de Búsqueda (National Search Plan). - Site Used by Repressive Organizations
Testimony from 15 former agents of repressive organizations – including the DINA, the Comando Conjunto Antisubversivo, and Carabineros – indicates that bodies were left in a mine in a crouching position, thrown into pits or cavities, and that the site was repeatedly used to conceal the remains of executed political prisoners. - Ex-Repressor Testimony Details Gruesome Practices
The testimony of former agent Héctor Valdebenito Araya, known as “El viejo verde” (The Old Green), describes how corpses, often wrapped in sacks, were thrown into the mine. Many showed signs of having been burned beforehand to hinder identification, reflecting the clandestine methods of extermination used during that period. - “Retiro de Televisores” Operation Aimed to Erase Evidence
The complaint likewise references the “Retiro de televisores” (Television Removal) operation, ordered by high-ranking officials in the DINA, and CNI. This operation involved moving bodies from locations like Cuesta Barriga to rebury or dispose of them – including dumping them into the sea from helicopters – in an attempt to destroy evidence. - Partial Identification of Victims Ongoing
While genetic profiles of several individuals found in Cuesta Barriga have been identified – including those of detainees who disappeared and were linked to leftist organizations – a significant number of remains remain unidentified. This fuels the ongoing search for truth and justice through the new legal proceedings.
The case highlights the continued efforts to uncover the truth about human rights abuses committed during the Pinochet dictatorship. More details on this story can be found here.
