Chilai Backsliding on Human Rights
| Or owing evidence that Chilfian security foicas are responsible for recent disappearancea ofwho run afoul of the military government threatana to refuel the human righta controversy.
The government's much publicized decreessafeguarda for political prlaonara andinternal security practices are apparently being circumvented by intelligence organisations. Tha nusiber of detentions reported under the state of alege haa declined and charges of torture have diminished, but unexplained disappearances appear to be occurring with more frequency.
One of the most potentially embarrassing cases concerns the disappearance last month of two wealthy
brothera.
the brothers are confinedoJ!onyrunTyTBrweT German Nazis who enjoy the protection of the Chilean
formed that they are in the custody ol Chile's national intelligence service, which reports only to President Pinochet. Both tha President and his justice minister have emphatically denied having any knowledge of tha brothers' whereabouts.
The mysterioua deathhilean leftist who had been working for the OH in Santiago could draw badhen he waa found dead in mid-Julythe government dismissed the death as accidental, but there are indications that ho was tortured and killed by Intelligence operativaa who then staged an "accident."
Conaiderable publicity has already been given the expulsioneek ago of two leading lawyers, one of whom had iIH^HiiHI taken on the case of the
UN employee's death.two were hustled out of the
SEJpRET
country onflight to Argentina In contravention of decrees requiring warrants, identification of the arresting authority, and prompt notification of The lawyers, one of whoa is an important Christian Democratic Party apokaaman, also incurred the government's hostility in June when theyetter to the OAS foreign mlnlaters meeting in Santiago comrlaining of human rights violations.
intelligence service
Pinochet as saying that he will no longer tolerate* any break in the political receas. Pinochet ia ready to crack down on other high-ranking politicians and church members if they get out of line, and he allegedly aingled out former president Eduardo Frei in thia context. The recent decision to expel two important political figures was probably intendedarning that criticism of the government will be more harshly repressed.
recently |
was outraged over the suinmaxyaeportacTonan^tiirt it waa clear the government hasolicy of open harassment of Christian Democrats and other moderate opposition groups. Freiuccession of incidents agalnat party leadora which smack of official Intimidation. Be aaid that Christian Democratic and Social Democratic forces in Europe would try to get the matter before the UN and the OAS. Widespread publicity about this incident will feed anti-Chilean sentiment | .
6
Critics of Chilean security practices have had little new material to work with in recent months, and the convening of the OAS foreign ministers in Santiago gave theegree of respectability it had long been seeking. The modest reforms which made this possible are clearly breaking down.
Original document.
Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: