Upon the Presentation of the Report of the
National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture to President Lagos

November 10, 2004

Santiago, Chile

The Ethic Committee Against Torture (CECT), declares:

1. We value the decision of the President to heed the concerns and recommendations posed by the Ethic Committee Against Torture in November 2003, by creating the National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture.

2. The governmental Commission concludes its work with the presentation of its Report to the President today, November 10. This day constitutes the beginning of political and societal recognition of one of the most massive and extensive human rights violations committed in the history of our country. For this reason, we feel the country is taking its first steps in asserting the historic truth that we experienced and endured.

3. We value the fact that the Commission has identified all detention and torture centers that operated in Chile, but we would also like to see the names of the individuals in charge of those places and the personnel who run them publicly identified by name. The Commission is said to have identified approximately 1200 detention and torture centers that operated in Chile from 1973 to 1990. It would be safe to suppose that each center was headed by at least three agents, in addition to their respective operational personnel. This means that more than 3600 torturers must be brought to trial in courts of law.

4. The Report findings reveal that this terrible practice would have been unfeasible were it not a decision of the State. A great number of government officials of the dictatorship played a role in this respect. The Interior Ministry and security agents arrested and held people in custody illegally. The civil and military courts jailed and sentenced people with confessions obtained through torture. The mass communications media forgot their ethic role and placed their knowledge and technology at the service of the policy of repression by distorting the facts. Such was also the case with professionals such as doctors, dentists and lawyers who collaborated with the repressive apparatus. And the business community sustained torture and illegal detention centers with their money and materials.

5. This reaffirms our view and the experiences of thousands of people whom for 30 years have repeated: Absolutely no political reason and no reason of state can justify the violation of human rights.

6. The methods the Armed Forces employed in Chile had the objective of subduing, destroying and controlling the entire population and their community organizations by leaving scars that affect all of Chilean society to this day. For this reason, fair and adequate reparations measures are urgently needed for all persons affected.

7. Lastly, we hope that this Report leads the government of President Lagos to develop an integral solution to all human rights violations. Today we are at the dawn of an historic opportunity to bring an end to impunity and, once and for all, build a truly democratic society. The key is to allow ALL THE TRUTH to emerge and to all ALL THE JUSTICE needed to comply with our international commitments Chile has made in human rights.

For all these reasons, we demand:
a) To make public the full and complete Report because Chile has the right to know the truth.
b) That June 26 be declared National Day of Support for Torture Victims in Chile.
c) End existing contracts of State administration with the torturers.

d) Accept all cases of torture and not only torture in relation to political imprisonment.

e) Restructure and democratize the Armed Forces.

f) Incorporate the Report of the National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture as part of the UNESCO Archives declared legacy of humanity.

g) Incorporate the Report as part of the school curriculum in all schools of Chile.

h) End the pensions that former secret security forces members continue to receive from the State.

i) Apply international standards for reparation for torture victims.

j) Incorporate International Human Rights Law as part of our national legislation and sign the Protocol to the International Convention against Torture and ratify the Statutes of Rome.

k) Accept the recommendations posed by United Nations Committee against Torture for Chile: repeal of the amnesty law, legal investigation of all cases of torture, fair and adequate reparation for persons who have been tortured.

l) Enact an Integral Reparations Law that takes into account social, medical, judicial, moral and financial factors. We share the firm conviction that the President will adopt the measures that we as victims and human rights organizations have demanded, in keeping with the rights enshrined in article 17 of the International Convention against Torture.

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