From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.rights.human
Date: 16 Aug 92 12:11 PDT
Subject: IPS:Chile: Demands to Try Former
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1476700377:000:3002
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Aug 16 12:11:00 1992


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: IPS:Chile: Demands to Try Former

/* Written 12:17 am  Aug 16, 1992 by newsdesk in
cdp:ips.englibrary */ Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all
rights reserved.  Permission to re- print within 7 days of
original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: CHILE: DEMANDS TO TRY FORMER PINOCHET AGENT IN CIVILIAN
COURT

santiago, aug 13 (ips) --  a humanitarian organisation has called
on chile's supreme court of justice not to apply the amnesty law
in the case of osvaldo romo, a former agent of general pinochet's
military regime, who was arrested in brazil two weeks ago and is
due to be extradited to chile.

according to human rights groups and ''surviving witnesses of the
repression'', romo was repsonsible for more than 100 serious human
rights violations, including torture, forced disappearances and
assassinations between 1973 and 1975, under general augusto
pinochet's military regime.

however, legal experts here say that the former agent of the
dismantled national intelligence department (dina), whose
extradition to chile is belived imminent, could benefit from the
amnesty law decreed in 1987 by the pinochet regime.

the amnesty law exempts from prosecution all those accused of
human rights violations during the early years of the pinochet
regime.

romo, who was arrested on july 29 in the brazilian state of sao
paulo, is also accused of kidnapping several political opponents
of the dicatorship, including professor alonso chanfreau, a leader
of the left-wing revolutionary movement (mir) who disappeared in
1974.

the judge investigating the chanfreau case ''reconstructed'' the
incident on wednesday, with assistance of chanfreau's wife, erika
henning. the legal move came in response to tuesday's request by
the military to have the case transfered to a military court,
something the lawyers of the victim's family are anxious to
prevent.

lawyer carlos margota rejected all attempts to protect the
intellectual and material authors of these ''serious crimes'' and
said he supported the view of the comission for truth and
reconciliation that ''the previous regime had applied a policy of
extermination against certain groups in chile, for the sole reason
that they thought differently.''

the commission was established by president patricio alywin
shortly after taking office in march 1990, and produced its first
report in march 1991.

the association of relatives of disappeared detainees (afdd) sent
a letter thursday to the head of the supreme court of justice,
marcos aburto, demanding that romo stand trial in a civilian
court.

the letter states that in order to attain the ''much sought after
national reconciliation'', it is necessary to uncover the truth
about past human rights violations in chile.

the afdd letter urges aburto to prevent application of the amnesty
law in romo's case and that any charges against him be heard in a
civilian rather than a military court.  (ends/ips/trd/em/cs/cg/92)
----