The Crimes of Augusto Pinochet

"Not a leaf moves in this country if I'm not moving it" -- Pinochet, October 1981

This site contains accounts of the crimes of Augusto Pinochet, who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990.  The texts explain what people are talking about when they call him a "dictator" or "strong man" who committed a few "human rights violations".  These reports tend to confirm one another, and collectively give some idea of the range and scale of the atrocities.  

Case studies from Amnesty International's 1983 report on torture in Chile:

 Case 1

 Case 2

 Case 4

 Case 9  

Three passages from Robinson Rojas Sandford, The Murder of Allende and the End of the Chilean Way of Socialism, Translated from the Spanish by Andrée Conrad, New York (Harper and Row) 1975, 1976:

 Prats, pp.175-176.

 The Tortures, pp.202-204.

 The Women, pp.206-210.  
Dr. Robinson Rojas also maintains a valuable web site with Pinochet material, notably the full text of El Libro Negro de la Justicia Chilena, by Alejandra Matus, banned in Chile after a month. See The crimes of the Chilean generals.

From Evidence on the Terror in Chile. Report compiled by Raul Silva, Brigitta Leander, and Sun Axelsson. Translated by Brian McBeth. London (Merlin Press) 1974. originally published Stockholm (Ab Raben & Sjogren) 1974:

 The Testimony of "Camilo Henriques", pp.55-61.

 The Torture of a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy, pp.1-5.

 João in Chile the Stadium, pp.16-23.  

From an Americas Watch report: Chile since the Coup: Ten Years of Repression, August 25, 1983, pp.70-73:

Rodriguez Munoz Munoz and Cesar C.

From María Eugenia Rojas, La represión politica en Chile: los hechos. Madrid (IEPALA Editorial) 1988. This text, , in Spanish, appears to be a definitive work on human rights violations in Chile under the Pinochet régime. The selection will be expanded over time, and translated.

This selection, like several others at this site, contains references to the original pagination in square brackets, thus: [78]. Unfortunately I don't know Spanish. I have done my best to proofread the scans but would welcome corrections.

Capítulo II: Tortura

English version (work in progress)

The following are illustrations from María Eugenia Rojas' text.

Suspended from pole, p.101.

Submarino, piscina con hielo, p.115.

Parilla, p.116.

Sumarino seco, etc., p.117.

Téléfono, p.119.

The testimony of Juan Rojas Castro. The following text was sent to me by the author on 14 December 1998. His English translation, posted here, immediately followed the Spanish original. Except for (i) dividing the text into its Spanish and English portions, and (ii) minor formatting changes, I have made no alterations of any kind.

Testimonio, (Spanish version)

Testimony, (English version)

Torture survivors today. A New York Times article (3 January 2000) in which torture survivors describe their past experiences and present state. The impunity of their torturers is also discussed.

Pinochet Case Reviving Voices of the Tortured


The First House of Lords Decision: Here is the complete text of the first House of Lords decision, in which immunity to Pinochet was denied. This material is also available at

http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199899/ldjudgmt/jd981125/pino01.htm

but not as a single document.

The First Judgment (25 November 1998).


The Second House of Lords Decision: Here is the complete text of the second House of Lords decision, in which immunity to Pinochet once again was denied.

The Second Judgment (24 March 1999).


Additional material:

The best collection of links and documents is probably the one at: The Pinochet Page
Excellent collections of links can be found at:
LondonNet: Pinochet links
The Guardian: Pinochet under arrest
The Human Rights Actions Network: Help Extradite Pinochet!
Oikos: Pinochet's arrest in Britain
Mark Lakota's page: The Truth about Pinochet
www.remember-chile.org.uk: Remember Chile

Survivors of Pinochet's tortures, and any anyone seeking to aid torture victims, may wish to visit the web site of the

Torture Survivors Network

Everyone is encouraged to submit similar material. I would welcome, not only further testimony about torture, but also (i) additional documentation of Pinochet's responsibility for these atrocities, (ii)concise reports of "Free World" support for his régime, and (iii) further translations of Spanish texts on this site. No opinion pieces, please: I'm looking for documented, factual pieces, which will be included at my sole discretion.

This a site is a mirror for the original site at http://www.trentu.ca/~mneumann/pinochet.html.

This page is maintained by: Michael Neumann.

Visitors since 10-November-1998:


Last modified: 4-January 2000