The Court of Appeals of Santiago convicted 17 agents of the defunct National Intelligence Directorate (DINA) for their responsibility for the crime of classified kidnapping of Rodrigo Eduardo Ugás Morales, who was unlawful committed from 7 February 1975, within the framework of the so-called “Operation Colombo”.
In unanimous ruling, the Eleventh Chamber of the High Court – composed of Ministers María Soledad Melo, Tomás Gray and Alberto Amiot – condemned Pedro Espinoza Bravo, Miguel Krassnoff Martchenko and Raúl Iturriaga Neumann as perpetrators of the crime; while Rolf Wenderoth Pozo, Francisco Ferrer Lima, Ricardo Lawrence Mires, Ciro Torré Sáez and Raúl Rodriguez Ponte must serve a 10-year punishment and a day of prison; Agents Teresa Osorio Navarro and Osvaldo Pulgar Gallardo must purge 5 years and one day, and Samuel Fuenzalida Devia 541 days.
Likewise, the court of elevation sentenced Rosa Ramos Hernández, José Abel Aravena Ruiz, Heriberto del Carmen Acevedo, Rodolfo Concha Rodríguez, Silvio Concha González and Roberto Hernán Rodríguez Manquel to 3 years and one day in prison, for their responsibility as accomplices.
At the investigation stage of the case, the minister on extraordinary visit Hernán Crisosto Greisse established the following facts: “In the evening hours of 7 February 1975, members of (..) DINA stopped on public roads in the Central Station sector in Santiago to Rodrigo Eduardo Ugas Morales, militant of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), who moved him to the DINA’s clandestine detention grounds, called ‘Terranova Barracks’ or ‘Villa Grimaldi’, located in Lo Arrieta No. 8200, of the commune of La Reina, which was guarded by armed guards and to which only DINA agents had access”.
He adds that “the offended Ugas Morales during his stay at villa Grimaldi barracks remained in contact with the outsider, bandaged and moored, being continually subjected to interrogation under torture by Dina agents operating in that barracks for the purpose of obtaining information concerning members of the MIR, in order to proceed with the detention of the members of that organization.”
“That the last time victim Ugas Morales was seen by other detainees, an undtermined day occurred in late February 1975, and was missing to date.”
“That the name Rodrigo Eduardo Ugas Morales, appeared in a list of 119 people, published in the national press after it appeared in a list published in the magazine ‘LEA’ of Argentina, dated July 15, 1975, in which it became known that Rodrigo Eduardo Ugas Morales had died in Argentina, along with 59 other people belonging to the MIR , because of internal quarrels raised between these members,” he adds.
On the civil side, the State of Chile was ordered to pay a total compensation of $240,000,000 (two hundred and forty million pesos) to the victim’s spouse and children.
