Chilean Death Squad Member Dies At 92 in Jail

A convicted Chilean army death squad member died at age 92 in the Santiago.

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Former Colonel Sergio Arredondo died on Wednesday at the Military Hospital in Santiago.

Arredondo was carrying out a 15-year sentence for orchestrating the deaths of 14 people at the Punta Peuco prison in Antofagasta that took place in October 1973, shortly after Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) overthrew the democratically elected government of socialist Salvador Allende. Arredondo’s killings were part of the ‘Caravan of Death’ during which approximately 75 teachers and social activists were tortured and murdered by several military leaders.

The now deceased colonel had been carrying out his sentence since February 2016. Arredondo is the fourth Caravan of Death executioners to have died while serving time in prison over the past several months, preceded by Risiere Altez, Leonidas Bustos, and Rene Cardemil. He died of terminal lung cancer.

Arredondo’s death occurred on the same day that several Chilean legislators brought a formal request to remove several Supreme Court Justices from their posts for freeing five former military members serving time for crimes against humanity (1973 - 1990).

With the support of human rights organization, the legislators presented a constitutional accusation, roughly an indictment, against the judges, Hugo Dolmestch, Carlos Kümsemüller, and Manuel Valderrama for "evident abandonment of constitutional obligations" and “enabling impunity.”

The three magistrates voted to conditionally release former judge Gamaliel Soto, and former soldiers, Jose Quintanilla Fernandez, Hernan Portillo Aranda and Felipe Gonzalez Astorga, along with police officer Manuel Perez Santillan, who had been carrying out sentences for kidnapping, torture, homicide, and crimes against humanity they committed at the Punta Peuco prison during the Pinochet regime.

The three magistrates ruled to release them in July based on good behavior.

In the official document submitted Wednesday, the Congress members argue the justices failed to review international convention on human rights law. The indictment will be voted on Thursday and if approved five legislators will be randomly selected to review the request.