CHILE - VIRTUAL TRUTH COMMISSION

Virtual Truth Commission

Letter from a political prisoner in Chile
A-INFOS NEWS SERVICE
Monday, 8 Febraury, 1998

He was not kidnapped by the repressive mechanism that detained us. He was not tortured in front of his children, nor was current put through his body, he was not beaten, and no bandages covered his eyes, there were no unceasing interrogatories. He was not tortured as we were. He was not submitted to lengthy days of silence, to the defenselessness of only seeing your captors, or to the uncertainty of whether you would die or you would survive as we were. He has not been ridiculed in the public arena, now he is a poor old man; in Chile he hasn't even been called delinquent, nor terrorist as we have been.

He has neither been trialed in courts nor tribunals, nor has he been submitted to undue processes, he has not been sentenced to life imprisonment, to death or to 300 years in jail as we have been. He has not been taken to a high security prison, no one controls his hours, his days, he is not watched by cameras, he is not locked into a padlock cell as we are.

No one will dare shoot him for being an assassin, a terrorist or a genocidal maniac despite the fact that this what he deserves, Surely for one reason or another he will be allowed to go free and won't be imprisoned for years as we are.

With skepticism we watched the detention of the dictator in London. We have learnt, without a doubt, not to believe in the justice of the courts, but to live in a climate impunity. Years ago we learnt of the deals of the "concertation parties," the military and the right wing, we knew of the unreasonableness of the army with its worthy general, we knew them as untouchables. But it really wasn't so.

A foreign country dared and today the entire world judges him. Who would have thought that 25 years later, betrayal of his subordinates would make him uneasy.

From skepticism we have gone to quiet disbelief. The dictatorship has been uncovered: its synister goings on, the men who headed the terrible practice of 17 years, travel around the world, refreshening our memory.
Here nobody says that Pinochet is innocent, only that he should enjoy the impunity of old age.

A transition process that sold out has been uncovered: with happiness we watch the right wing's anger, the diplomatic option taken by the army, the ambiguous and shameful discourse of the "concertation parties", and [Chilean] President Frei speaking as if this was only the country of transition. We see our people in the streets celebrating, demonstrating their happiness, for once we are having a party, a carnaval, dreaming that Pinochet will become an a British a citizen and won't come back.

With certain astonishment (yet we know them capable of much worse) we listen to the government defend Pinochet's position. Today, we are only one country, there exists justice. We developed a nationalist feeling: "Yes, we have to out him to trial, and it should be in Chile." When have assassins been trialed in Chile?

Today, there is talk of human rights. The Right wing speaks it, the government. Those who have always violated, for those for whom other people's Human Rights have never existed, today are so much more human and above and have rights. And where are the rights of the down trodden and marginalised of yesterday and today? Where are the Human Rights of the miners of Lota, or the saltpetre workers, or of the children who labour? Where are the rights of the thousands of disappeared, murdered and tortured; those of us who constantly suffer the repression of the Police State created by the "Concertation Parties"? Where are the Human Rights of teachers, of fringe dwellers, or the indigenous community? Where are the Human Rights of those of us who have legitimately opposed the repression and the misery of the neo liberal model? Where are the Human Rights the political prisoners in high Security Prisons, trialed by military and civil courts, with years after years of sentence and without proper defense or paying for it at great cost, because we are poor? And what about Maria Cristina San Juan who has been in a penitentiary hospital with clinical and psychological illnesses, and with a life sentence? Who speaks of Human Rights when the gendarmerie searches, steals and punishes routinely? What Human Rights do they speak of?

We do not know where the general will end up. As far as we are concerned, he can die. For now, we will rejoice in his despair (even for a while) we will rejoice in the discomfort being felt by the General, the army, the right wing, and the concertation Parties (Even for a while)

From this jail we say to all of them: GO TO ENGLAND And remain forever there.

Political Prisoner
Santiago, High Security Prison COF.
Translated into English for Chilean Popular and Indigenous Network

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Updated December 12, 1998