[Marxism] Some good news from Chile - two stories

[Walter Lippmann <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-chile3aug03,1,6989701.story
From the Los Angeles Times
Pinochet-era general is caught
An intelligence official under the Chilean dictator, Raul Iturriaga Neumann 
fled after his conviction in an activist's disappearance.
By Claudia Lagos and Patrick J. McDonnell
Special to The Times

August 3, 2007
SANTIAGO, CHILE â A fugitive ex-general from the Pinochet era was
captured Thursday, Chilean authorities said.

Former Gen. Raul Iturriaga Neumann, 69, was arrested without incident
in an apartment in the resort town of ViÃa del Mar, on Chile's
Pacific coast, officials said.

Once a high-ranking figure in the military's feared intelligence
service, Iturriaga is one of the best-known convicted human rights
abusers from the dictatorship of the late Augusto Pinochet, who ruled
from 1973 to 1990. His case drew attention to right-wing discontent
with human rights prosecutions.

Iturriaga was a commander at a clandestine jail known as the "Sexy
Blindfold" and "The Discotheque" because of the sexual abuse
inflicted on blindfolded prisoners as loud music masked their
screams.

The ex-general was convicted in connection with the 1974
disappearance of a political activist, Luis Dagoberto San Martin, who
was last seen at the lockup and is presumed dead. He denied any
wrongdoing and refused to surrender to authorities in June for the
start of a five-year prison term.

The government says San Martin, who was 21 when he disappeared, is
among the almost 3,200 people killed for political reasons under
Pinochet, who was facing human rights and corruption charges when he
died in December at the age of 91.

Before going on the run in June, Iturriaga issued a widely circulated
video manifesto railing against the "injustice" of the Chilean
system.

"I openly rebel before this arbitrary, biased, unconstitutional and
anti-judicial conviction," Iturriaga said.

The former general's denunciations were seen as a direct challenge to
the Chilean state, which has been under democratic rule for 17 years.
The government has pledged to prosecute human rights offenders from
the Pinochet era.

Iturriaga's case highlights the outrage of former military officials
now facing prosecution for their roles during the dictatorship. As
many as 500 face charges of human rights violations.

But officers serving in the country's modernized armed forces refused
to side with Iturriaga, proclaiming their loyalty to the elected
government and calling his trial and sentence fair. The military and
defense leadership uniformly condemned Iturriaga's flight and urged
the fugitive to turn himself in.

Chilean authorities launched a major search for Iturriaga. He was
also wanted in neighboring Argentina, where he was linked to the
killings of a dissident Chilean general and his wife in a car bombing
carried out under Operation Condor, in which South American
dictatorships hunted down enemies beyond their borders.

It remained unclear whether the fugitive had received assistance from
a web of right-wing sympathizers, as many here feared. Iturriaga was
carrying a pistol when arrested, but put up no resistance, officials
said.

As he was being transferred to a prison near the capital, hecklers
yelled, "Asesino!" (Murderer!) and tossed eggs at the police
motorcade.

"In this case now there is tranquillity for society," said attorney
Nelson Caucoto, who represents the family of San Martin.

Iturriaga's lawyer, Jorge Balmaceda, said his client "didn't want to
comply with a sentence that he considered unjust."

Among those also facing charges are Iturriaga's boss in the
intelligence service, former Gen. Manuel Contreras, who already has
been convicted here for a 1976 car bombing in Washington that killed
Orlando Letelier, the exiled former Chilean foreign minister, and a
U.S. colleague.
==========================================================

Chilean Miners Reach Accord, End Strike

Santiago, Aug 1 (Prensa Latina) Union leaders and the National Copper
Corporation officially signed an agreement on Wednesday that put an
end to the 37-day strike, and recognizes labor demands by
subcontracted workers of the sector.

Copper Worker Confederation President Cristian Cuevas said that
achievement is a great victory by the workers movement, and "we will
continue in the streets if these agreements are not honored" by the
state corporation.

CODELCO agreed on several benefits with the CTC, such as salary
increases, and accepted not to adopt measures like dismissing workers
who participated in the strikes and mobilizations.

It also promised to pay part of the days subcontractees were absent
from work, cancel eight of the 36 days of mobilizations, and will pay
a special 50,000-peso bond -around $100- to each of the subcontracted
workers.

Cuevas said the CTC will also fight from now on for those
subcontracted in the private mining companies to be fairly and
equally treated.

"Persistence, unity, organization, and mobilization will change the
country," he said.

hr ccs iom obf

PL-49



================================
WALTER LIPPMANN
Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
writer - photographer - activist
http://www.walterlippmann.com
================================

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