Victor Jara murder: ex-military officers sentenced in Chile for 1973 death
In Chile, a fascist junta in two years, wiped out 30,000 of the population, imprisoned 200,000 and left 22,000 widows and 66,000 orphans...the operation under the management of Augusto Pinochet, was fired off by a collective comprising the CIA, the State Department and American business interests.
Read about Milton Friedman's contribution here.
Another example of the 'liberalism' of the 'free world'.
The life and death of Victor Jara – a classic feature from the vaults
RIP Comrade Victor. You and your music will be in our hearts forever
The life and death of Victor Jara – a classic feature from the vaults
RIP Comrade Victor. You and your music will be in our hearts forever
Victor Jara was killed in 1973 in the opening days of the dictatorship of Gen
Augusto Pinochet. Photograph: Fundacion Victor Jara, Antonio L/AP
Eight retired Chilean
military officers have been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the murder of
popular folk singer Victor Jara during the 1973 coup that installed late
dictator Augusto Pinochet in power. A judge handed down
the sentences after leading a long-running inquiry into Jara’s death on 16
September, 45 years ago, a statement from Chile’s courts authority said. Miguel Vázquez
sentenced the eight men to 15 years and one day in prison for the murder of
Jara and that of former prisons director Littre Quiroga Carvajal. A ninth suspect was
jailed for five years for his role in covering up the killings.
Jara, 40, was a
celebrated singer, theater director and university professor who sympathized
with the socialist government of Salvador Allende, who was ousted in the 1973 coup. Jara’s work, and the
nature of his death, inspired tributes from artists including Bruce
Springsteen, the Clash and U2.
He was detained along
with his students, fellow academics and scores of other leftists in a Chilean
soccer stadium that has since been named after him. According to detainees
in the stadium who survived, Jara’s hands were smashed with the butt of a gun
and he was badly beaten during his incarceration. When his body was found three
days after his disappearance near a cemetery, it was found riddled with 44
bullet holes. His family,
including British-born
ballerina wife Joan and his daughter Amanda, has fought a long-running
campaign for justice in his case and had his body exhumed in 2009 for a full
autopsy.
In 2016, a civil court
jury in Florida found
another former military official, retired army lieutenant Pedro Barrientos,
liable for torturing and killing Jara. Barrientos, who lives
in Florida but whose extradition to Chile is currently
under US consideration, was also ordered to pay $28m in damages to Jara’s
family. The case against
Barrientos was filed by the US-based Center for Justice and Accountability, a
human rights advocacy group, on behalf of Jara’s widow, his daughter and
step-daughter. During Pinochet’s
rule, which lasted until 1990, an estimated 3,200 people were killed and 28,000
tortured by the state.
see also
Former Chilean army chief charged over 1973 killing of activists // Former military official found liable for killing of folk singer Victor Jara: In Chile, a fascist junta in 2 years, wiped out 30,000 of the population, imprisoned another 200,000 and left 22,000 widows and 66,000 orphans...the operation under the management of Augusto Pinochet, was fired off by a collective comprising the CIA, the State Dept & American business interests.
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