Dr. Alberto Neumann's court testimony
Testimony rendered before Judge Hernán Sánchez Marré
EXCERPTS
SOURCE: www.memoriayjusticia.cl/english/en_docs-neumann.html
DATE: June 1st, 1990
JUDICIAL BRANCH,
CHILE
POZO ALMONTE, June 1st, 1990
Hereby appears before this Court, ALBERTO ENRIQUE NEUMANN LAGOS, Chilean, native
of Pisagua, married, physician, reads and writes, RUN 3.752.215-5, domiciled
in the city of Valparaiso, Independencia Street N. 1718, under oath testifies as
follows:
In answer to your questions, while serving as city councilman in Valparaiso and
doctor at Deformes Hospital, I was arrested at this institution on September 11,
1973, as a consequence of the military coup that occurred that day.
I remained prisoner in the Navy cadet school, the ship Esmeralda, as of the day
of my arrest until approximately September 16, 1973, on which date I was
transferred to a holding room of the Maipo, property of the South American
Steamship Company.
On this cargo ship I was transferred together with hundreds of other detainees
to Pisagua. I am not able to state precisely how many of us were on that ship
because we were kept in separate holding rooms.
On September 18, 1973 we arrived at Pisagua and we were taken to the
penitentiary at that place, namely the Pisagua Prison, and sent to different
cells.
When we arrived at Pisagua Prison, prisoners from Iquique and other parts of
northern Chile were already held there. At Pisagua, the Navy left us in custody
of the Army, which was in charge of the prison. I must add that the common
prisoners once held at the prison as well as the few residents of the locality
of Pisagua had been evacuated, so that the entire area was a military zone.
In this prison facility, the prisoners were very crowded; the physical space did
not have the capacity for so many prisoners.
I remained prisoner at this place until late October 1973, at which time I was
transferred with a group of three prisoners back to Valparaiso. I should add
that there were three physicians from Valparaiso in this group. During the last
period of our stay in Pisagua, the doctors were placed in cells apart from the
other prisoners. We were in charge of administering medical attention to the
political prisoners, using the prison infirmary office for that purpose.
On September 29, 1973 at the lunch hour when the prisoners went out to the
prison yard to eat, the detention center military chief Lieutenant Colonel Ramon
Larrain, addressed us. He told us that more prisoners were on the way and that
no one could escape arrest, in reference to leftists. For this reason, he said,
the facilities needed to be adapted and certain carpentry and other work was
required, and he asked for volunteers to perform these jobs. Many prisoners
volunteered because it was a relief to be able to do any kind of work
considering the inhumane conditions in which we were kept.
Then Lieutenant Colonel Larrain chose six prisoners: Marcelo Guzman, Nolberto
Cañas, Michael Nash, Juan Calderon, Luis Lizardi and Juan Jimenez. The six
prisoners he named were from that area, northern Chile, and had been arrested by
the Army.
Later, that night Commander Larrain informed us that the six prisoners had tried
to escape and consequently, they had been shot. He added that the prisoner
Michael Nash was able to get away the farthest, which Larrain attributed to the
fact, that Nash had military training. This prisoner had been completing his
mandatory military service in Iquique at the time of his arrest. When I shared a
cell with Nash, he told me that he had been arrested for refusing to participate
in the military coup.
In early October, Navy officers arrived at Pisagua and proceeded to interrogate
all prisoners who had come from Valparaiso. The military personnel had told us
to expect the arrival of this delegation from Valparaiso who had special
military training and were capable of killing any animal. This they told us
throughout the entire period of psychological torture.
The Navy delegation finally arrived and they blindfolded us and took us in
groups, out of the prison to a place a few blocks away. I am not able to be more
precise about the location because, as I mentioned, we were all blindfolded.
These men from the Navy meted out a very harsh treatment. They threatened us,
beat us, kicked us, insulted us and did other similar things to us. They even
subjected us to electric current during interrogation.
We doctors among the prisoners are able to testify to this fact not only because
we personally experienced the treatment just like the rest of the prisoners, but
also because we had to examine and tried to help people after these
interrogation sessions.
On October 10, 1973, Commander Larrain told me to prepare myself because he had
a special mission for me the next day and I would have to be ready very early in
the morning. On October 11, I woke up early and was taken in Jeep with Commander
Larrain. Other vehicles also departed. Up to that moment I had no idea where we
were going or anything about the special mission Commander Larrain had talked
about.
We arrived at the side of the old Pisagua cemetery, an area between the cemetery
and the sea. Nearly the entire Army personnel at Pisagua, in addition to lower
officers and privates, were all there, in formation as if it were a normal
military ceremony. The lower-ranking officers were armed with automatic weapons.
There was also a platoon of Army conscripts in formation like a firing squad.
Some were standing, while others knelt in front of them. They were also armed
with automatic rifles.
I observed that the military personnel were on the side of a ditch or an
excavation that had just been dug. It was 15 meters long by 2 meters wide and I
could see six corpses covered in sacks, placed side by side at the bottom of the
ditch. One of the officers told me that these were the bodies of the people who
had tried to escape on September 29, 1973, according to the account I described
previously.
The Pisagua Prison chaplain, by the name of Murillo was also present, and I
could see that he was very disturbed.
Commander Larrain informed me that some prisoners, who had been sentenced to
death by a War Council, were going to be executed.
Later Commander Larrain made a speech to the military officers, which was
addressed especially to the soldiers of the firing squad. During all this time,
the prisoners had not yet arrived. The speech was intended to give the soldiers
the strength to commit the crime. He told them they were cleaning the country of
bad elements, making spurious reference to the prisoners who were going to be
shot.
I must add that the lower ranking officers were standing perpendicular to the
firing squad soldiers. The officers were also armed, thus representing a
terrible pressure over the soldiers who were about to fire upon the prisoners.
What happened next occurred in complete silence. The prisoners began to arrive,
walking up to the place. The first three were blindfolded and were placed in
front of the firing squad, one next to another, about 2 meters apart. With his
hand, an officer gave the signal to shoot and the platoon of 12 men fired upon
the three prisoners who fell dead.
I have the impression that the men who were shot did not know what was about to
take place. They did not seem to have been told what would happen. They were all
very calm.
At that moment Commander Larrain told me that I had to certify the deaths of the
executed prisoners. I did so, confirming that each was dead. Only one was still
alive, and the officer proceeded to give him the so-called "coup de grace" with
his gun.
The bodies of these three persons were covered with burlap sacks.
These events were repeated with two more prisoners, who were shot under the same
conditions.
I must add that in the case of Humberto Lizardi, the blindfold became loose at
the moment they were firing. I mention this fact in order to confirm my personal
knowledge of these events. The names of the persons who were shot are the
following: Juan Valencia, Humberto Lizardi, Mario Morris, Jose Cordova and Julio
Cabezas.
At this time, I do not recall the name of the officer in charge of the firing
squad. I do know he was the second ranking officer after Commander Larrain.
Once the execution had concluded, I was returned to the Prison, so I did not see
when they covered the ditch with dirt. I must add, to be precise, that the ditch
where the bodies were buried, is located along the western side of the cemetery,
on the side nearest the sea. It is an unleveled area that slopes down to the
sea.
The ditch was approximately 15 meters long and was located about 20 meters from
the cemetery wall, facing the coast. It was about 2 meters wide from south to
north, located about 50 to 60 meters from the end of the cemetery wall, on the
southern side.
I should add that the person to whom the officer gave the coup de grace was Juan
Valencia, who I knew in Pisagua. I knew perfectly well who he was. I must also
add that I knew Lizardi as well in Pisagua, and was perfectly able to identify
him. The same with Julio Cabezas, who I knew to be a lawyer.
Concerning Mario Morris, I should say that I knew him from Valparaiso. I am a
friend of all his family. I have no doubt that he was in the first group of
three prisoners shot.
Having read this testimony, I certify its veracity and sign it before the Court.
(Signed)
Alberto Neumann
