Chilean court orders State to compensate former student tortured in 1973
A court in Santiago's Court of Appeals affirmed that the Treasury must provide monetary compensation to a sociologist who was arrested at the State Technical University and subsequently subjected to physical abuse at two sports venues that were converted into detention centres following the coup d'é
Chilean court orders State to compensate former student tortured in 1973
A panel of the capital's appellate court ruled in favour of Alejandro Vladilen Pereda Espinoza, determining that public funds will pay him monetary compensation for the suffering he endured after being captured in September 1973. The young man, who was then studying at the State Technical University—now the University of Santiago—and belonged to communist ranks, was 27 years old when military forces stormed the campus.
The military incursion occurred on 12 September, in the context of the overthrow of the constitutional government. During the operation, uniformed personnel arrested teachers, employees and students, including the university's rector, Enrique Kirberg. The detainees were taken to the sports venue then known as Estadio Chile, a site where musician Víctor Jara, who worked as a professional at the same academic institution, also lost his life.
Later, a group of prisoners—among them Pereda Espinoza—was transferred to the Estadio Nacional, which in those weeks operated as the country's principal centre of mass detention.
The judicial ruling confirmed what had previously been decided by the 25th Civil Court of Santiago, although it increased the amount to be paid in view of the demonstrated harm. The court set the compensation at 30 million pesos, arguing that the period of confinement, the abuse suffered and the subsequent emotional and social consequences justified proportional redress.
Regarding interest, the judicial text refers to Article 1551 of the Civil Code, which states that the debtor's delay begins when sued before the courts. With respect to updating the sum, the ruling establishes that adjustments shall run from the date the sentence becomes final, whilst interest shall accrue once the defendant party incurs delay.
Information from cronicadigital.cl
Source: Google News CL — Crime