Approximate reading time: 1 minute, 31 seconds
History is implacable with those who take advantage of power to sow terror. Justice, although sometimes late, seeks to be firm in its actions, especially when it comes to atrocious crimes committed in the name of repression. Recently, the Minister on an extraordinary visit for cases of human rights violations of the Court of Appeals of San Miguel, Marianela Cifuentes Alarcón, issued an accusation that marked a milestone in the fight for truth and justice in Chile.
The ruling ruled the accusation against five agents of the defunct National Intelligence Directorate (DINA) for their participation in the classified kidnapping of Violeta del Carmen López Díaz. This accusation, the result of an exhaustive investigation (case role 13-2013), points to César Manríquez Bravo, Miguel Krassnoff Martchenko, Pedro Ariel Araneda Araneda, Alejandro Francisco Astudillo Adonis and Manuel Heriberto Avendaño González as perpetrators of the crime.
The facts are heartbreaking. On August 29, 1974, Violeta del Carmen López Díaz, widow, mother and activist of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), was illegally detained along with another individual at her home in San Miguel by security agents. She was transferred to the DINA detention center known as ‘Cuatro Álamos’ and since then, her whereabouts have been lost in the darkness of repression.
The plot of this crime bears the mark of a brutal machination. At that time, the DINA was under the direction of Colonel Juan Manuel Guillermo Contreras Sepúlveda, and operations depended on figures such as Lieutenant Colonel César Manríquez Bravo and Captain Miguel Krassnoff Martchenko. The repression of the MIR was carried out by the feared group ‘Halcón’, led by Krassnoff.
The fate of López Díaz was vilely manipulated. His name appeared on lists of deaths in Argentina, being part of a disinformation maneuver known as “Operation Colombo.” This stratagem sought to hide the truth about the fate of the victims, distorting their deaths as a result of internal conflicts.
This judicial ruling not only identifies those responsible, but also highlights the persistence in the search for truth and justice by those, like Minister Marianela Cifuentes Alarcón, who work tirelessly in these cases of human rights violations.
Today, this accusation serves as a reminder of the need to confront the past and honor the memory of those who were taken away by repressive regimes. It is a call to reflect and to continue demanding accountability for those crimes that should not go unpunished.
The fight for justice continues, illuminating every dark corner of history to ensure that the atrocities of the past are not repeated in the future.
