LATIN AMERICA REVIEW - CHILE: HUMAN RIGHTS CASE

Created: 8/31/1979

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

deathhilean professor followingnterrogation by the state security agency, CNI,to the notorious DINA, has prompted both the Chilean courts and the Interior Minister to orderinvestigations. The incident, the mostuman rights violation this year, severely damages Chile's efforts to improve its human rights rocord and further blackens the reputation of the security agency, whose involvement in the Letelier assassination isunder review by the Chilean Supreme Court,

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Renatouspected member of the extremist Movement of the Revolutionary Leftied on 21

six days after he was arrested bynational police) while trying to set an incendiary

{ device. He was turned over to the CNI, which heldncommunicado until rushing himospitalefore his death.abeas corpus petitions, filedamily members1 onugust had failed to prod therompt, assertive investigation, despite) the illegal nature of Alvarez's arrest and his obviously

physical condition at his arraignment onugust. Only after his death did the courtspecial investigation judge for the case, while Interior Minister Fernandez initiated an internal investigation; the CNI responded by denying Alvarez was tortured and claimed

he was received "in damagedrobablyto his struggle with carabineros at the time of j ; i-

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Chile has made real progress'in correcting human rights abuses during the past two years, and the Alvarezhich was immediately highlighted in the press,erious blow to the government's image. The timing is also.particularly bad for the CNI. The case comes on the eve of the Chilean Supreme Court's ruling on the US extradition request for former DINA chief Contreraa in connection with DINA's involvement

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with the Letelier assassination; it also follows Argentina's recent low-key reopening of itsof possible DINA involvement in4 assassins

t tion of Chilean ex-General Prats in Argentina. The Alvarez case could be the spark that finally compels the Chilean Governaent--or, at least, the Chilean

j take steps to curb the excesses of security

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