From 1973 to 1990, Chile was ruled by a military regime, led by General Augusto Pinochet, that systematically employed torture, summary executions, arbitrary detention, and forced disappearances as a means of repressing alleged dissidents. This case centers around twelve victims, who were in the State Air Force prior to the military dictatorship, and had been convicted of various crimes in connection with alleged disloyalty to the new regime. The victims spent varying lengths of time in prison, where they were all continuously severely tortured. After serving their prison sentences, eleven of the twelve victims were exiled from the State. The victims petitioned the State in 2001 and 2013 to investigate and punish those responsible for torturing them, and to annul their own convictions. The Court found that the State violated the American Convention on Human Rights and the Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture.
Case Summary: Omar Humberto Maldonado Vargas et al. v. Chile, Case Summary
Compliance Update: Omar Humberto Maldonado Vargas et al. v. Chile