El buque "Esmeralda", símbolo de la impunidad criminal en Chile

 The "Esmeralda" ship, a symbol of criminal impunity in Chile

2000 - Canada

Visita de Soledad Alvear a Londres

Date Tue, 3 Oct 2000

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A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E  - http://www.ainfos.ca/

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Con motivo de la visita oficial de la Dra Soledad Alvear, Ministra de RREE del Gobierno de la Concertacion, el Proyecto Internacional de Derechos Humanos in Londres, llamo a una demostracion el Lunes 2 de Octubre a las 6 de la tarde, frente a Canning House, donde ella daria una charla. La demostracion fue exitosa y se le entrego personalmente la Carta Abierta.

Esta carta reproducimos a continuacion

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Open letter to Ms. Soledad Alvear, Chilean Foreign Minister

On the occasion of your visit to the United Kingdom we would like to point  out the following:

1. We strongly condemn your statement as former Minister of Justice when you refused to acknowledge the existence of political prisoners in Chile today, despite the fact that the civil and military courts are continuing to prosecute a great majority. In Chile there are now 67 political prisoners and they are being denied a most basic right with regards to human dignity, such as medical treatment by prison authorities. Recently, this was the case with political prisoners Marcela Rodriguez and Pedro Rosas.

2. We find it regrettable that Mr. Ricardo Lagos, as President of Chile, and yourself, as Foreign Relations Secretary, have decided to appoint two ambassadors with a shameful background to foreign countries: Marcelo Schilling in France and Jose Tomas Letelier in Canada.

3. Jose Tomas Letelier, now Chilean Ambassador to Canada, during 1977 and 1978 as a high official at the Bureau of Human Rights of the Chilean Foreign Relations Ministry, was responsible for developing the human rights policy for the military dictatorship. During this period, hundreds of people disappeared or were executed in Chile. When the Chilean Navy vessel Esmeralda came to Canada last summer, he stated to the media that no tortures had been carried out on this ship. The ambassador's lies grew even further when he claimed that the Rettig Report had cleared Esmeralda from any accusation of torture. In fact, there are many documented cases of torture on the Esmeralda, in particular that of Michael Woodward - a British-Chilean priest who was tortured to death aboard the ship. In addition to this, tortures aboard the ship are fully documented in the Rettig Report. Furthermore, in 1986, during one of the last visits of this vessel to United States, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution that opposed the participation of this torture ship during the "Liberty Weekend".

4. Marcelo Shilling, now Chilean Ambassador to France, was head of the Interior Ministry's security police from 1992 to 1997, a time in which many former political opponents of the Pinochet regime were arrested, taken to interrogation centres, and finally jailed for long periods of time. In addition to this, many of these political detainees were killed under suspicious and unexplained circumstances.

5. We urge you to remove the two Ambassadors mentioned above from their posts. We also urge the Government that you represent, to acknowledge the existence of political prisoners in Chile and ensure that these prisoners are treated in accordance with the international conventions ratified by Chile.

London 2 October 00

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Carta abierta a Soledad Alvear, Ministra de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile

Con la ocasion de su visita al Reino Unido, quisieramos manifestar lo siguiente:

1. Condenamos sus declaraciones cuando ocupaba el cargo de Ministra de Justicia, donde se nego a reconocer la existencia de los presos politicos, a pesar de que la justicia militar y civil continuan a llevar los casos. En Chile hay ahora 67 presos politicos a los cuales se les niegan los derechos mas elementales de su dignidad humana, como por ejemplo, tratamiento medico. Recientemente, este es el caso de los presos policos Marcela Rodriguez y Pedro Rosas.

2. Consideramos lamentable que el Sr Ricardo Lagos, Presidente de Chile y Ud, Como Ministro de RREE, hayan decidido nombrar dos Embajadores con un pasado vergonzoso: Marcelo Schilling en Francia y Jose Tomas Letelier en Canada.

3. Jose Tomas Letelier, actual Embajador de Chile en Canada, durante 1977-1978 tenia el cargo de un alto oficial de la Oficina de Derechos Humanos del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, y responsable de desarrollar la politica de Derechos Humanos para la Dictadura militar. Durante este periodo cientos de personas fueron ejecutadas o desaparecieron en Chile. Con ocasion de la visita del Buque Esmeralda a Canada el verano pasado, el Embajador declaro publicamente que no se habia torturado en el Esmeralda, incluso llego a mentir abiertamente al decir que el Informe Rettig habia establecido que las acusaciones de torturas eran infundadas.

De hecho, existen numerosos casos documentados de tortura en el Esmeralda, en particular el caso de Michael Woodward, un religioso Chileno-Britanico, que fue torturado hasta la muerte a bordo del Buque. Incluso, en 1986, el Senado de Estados Unidos, paso una resolucion en el que se opone a la participacion del Buque Esmeralda durante el "Liberty Weekend".

4. Marcelo Schilling, Embajador de Chile en Francia, estaba a cargo de la "Oficina", desde 1992 a 1997, periodo durante el cual muchos politicos que habian sido contrarios al regimen de Pinochet, fueron detenidos, llevados a centros de interrogacion y finalmente encarcelados por largos periodos. En adicion a esto, muchos de estos detenidos politicos murieron bajo circunstancias sospechosas.

5. Le urgimos que remueva de sus cargos estos dos Embajadores ya mencionados. Tambien que el Gobierno que Ud representa, reconozca la existencia de presos politicos en Chile y asegure que esos presos sean tratados de acuerdo a las convenciones internacionales ratificadas por Chile

Londres 2 Octubre 00

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Human Rights International Project - Proyecto Intrenacional de Derechos Humanos

"working against impunity" - "trabajando contra la impunidad"

e-mail: hhrr_project@hotmail.com

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