Chilean singer Victor Jara’s funeral in Santiago on December 5, 2009, was a poignant moment for the people as they held a portrait of him. This event followed the exhumation of Jara’s remains that took place six months after his secret burial by agents of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. The purpose of the exhumation was to investigate his death. On August 28, 2023, Chile’s Supreme Court sentenced seven former officers of the Chilean Army to prison for their involvement in Jara’s kidnapping and murder. The sentencing ranges from 8 to 25 years. This final ruling comes after an appeal by the convicted men.
Jara, a beloved folk singer, was arrested the day after the CIA-backed coup on September 11, 1973, that led to the overthrow of Salvador Allende. His body was discovered days later, bearing 44 bullet wounds. Before his death, Jara was held and tortured in a sports stadium alongside thousands of other political prisoners. The soldiers responsible for his murder also crushed his fingers with rifle butts and boots. Jara was known as a member of Chile’s Communist Party and a strong supporter of President Allende’s Marxist government, which was elected by the people in 1970. The bodies of Jara and another political prisoner were found together, both bearing signs of torture. The ruling on Monday confirmed the sentences for the convicted men, including 15 years for Jara’s murder, 15 years for the other prisoner’s murder, and another 10 years for the kidnapping charges. Additionally, one of the men received eight years for his role in covering up the crimes.
Jara, whose pacifist songs conveyed messages of love and social protest, became an influential figure in Latin American music. His music had a wide reach and influenced artists like U2, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. Despite the sentencing of the soldiers involved in his murder, the dictator Augusto Pinochet himself was never convicted for the crimes committed during his regime, which claimed the lives of around 3,200 leftist activists and perceived opponents. In 2009, Jara’s remains were exhumed, and he was given an official burial attended by then-president Michelle Bachelet. Today, the stadium where Jara was held and tortured bears his name.
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