NewsLatin AmericaGovernment of Chile confirms the discovery of bones possibly of victims of forced disappearance

Government of Chile confirms the discovery of bones possibly of victims of forced disappearance

(CNN Spanish) — The Chilean Ministry of Justice and Human Rights confirmed the existence of 89 boxes with bones and other unexperienced remains that possibly correspond to people who suffered forced disappearance, something that a group of relatives of victims described as “a very serious situation.”

The authorities indicated this Thursday in a statement that during a meeting with groups of relatives from the cities of Calama, Tocopilla, Antofagasta and Santiago they announced that these remains were in the custody of the Legal Medical Service (SML), after they were transferred in 2019 from the Department of Legal Medicine of the University of Chile.

“In October 2022, within the framework of the design process of the National Search Plan, a special review began of the process of identifying victims of forced disappearance, carried out by the Human Rights Unit of the Legal Medical Service. Among the measures that have been preliminarily adopted is an inventory process of bones in the possession of the Service and a restructuring of the Human Rights Unit of the Medical Legal Service was instructed, “explained the Ministry, reiterating its “unrestricted commitment to the truth , justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition” against human rights violations.

The Communications Department of the University of Chile told CNN that they had received those boxes “solely and exclusively for their custody.”

The Faculty of Medicine indicated this Friday in a statement that it currently “does not keep any of the indicated samples” that it returned in 2019, after in 2001 by court order the SML was instructed to send “all the bones that were sent to this service for the rigorous expert reports” so that they remain in custody and safekeeping in the Department of Legal Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile.

“During the time in question, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile guarded and safeguarded the material as entrusted to it by court order. Our institution will continue to contribute in favor of truth and justice in cases of serious violations of human rights, remaining available to all competent bodies for the resolution of inquiries that require it, ”he added.

Human Rights body requests investigation

This Friday, the Association of Relatives of the Disappeared Detainees of Chile (AFDD) confirmed in a statement that a magistrate informed several human rights organizations that 89 boxes were found with human bones and other unexperienced remains, which presumably could correspond to detainees. -Disappeared during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, for which he asked to investigate this “extremely serious situation.”
“It is a very serious situation that must be investigated and the responsibilities found. This is part of a policy of impunity that the State has had for all these years. There must be political responsibilities for this new negligence,” the group said.

According to a review of various reports on this issue prepared by the Chilean Undersecretary for Human Rights, during the years of the military dictatorship (between 1973 and 1990) at least 1,469 victims of forced disappearance were registered.

Cristopher Ulloa contributed to this report.

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