Cuartel Simón Bolívar

Cuartel Simón Bolívar ("Simón Bolívar Barracks") was a facility used by the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA), Chile's secret police during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship. It functioned as a detention and torture center aimed at eliminating opponents through disappearance and extermination tactics. Located in the La Reina commune of Santiago, this facility was operated by a subgroup within DINA known as Brigade Lautaro.

Origin

The origin of the Simón Bolívar Barracks traces back to the formation of the Lautaro Brigade. Established in April 1974, this unit was tasked with carrying out "intelligence" and security operations on behalf of the DINA director. It was led by Captain Juan Morales Salgado, with assistance from Lieutenant Armando Fernández Larios. In early 1975, the brigade, initially comprising about twenty agents, was relocated to the La Reina property. Subsequently, the number of agents stationed there grew to around thirty.

DINA barracks in 1976

In 2007, Judge Víctor Montiglio initiated an investigation into DINA as part of the Calle Conferencia Case judicial process, which centered on crimes committed during the dictatorship, particularly targeting Communist Party (PC) members. The Rettig Report revealed that from 1975 to 1976, DINA pursued PC members who were in hiding following the crackdown on members of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR). Based on the information gathered, Judge Montiglio uncovered a previously undisclosed facility, not documented by the truth commissions (Rettig or Valech). This facility was under the jurisdiction of one of DINA's operational groups, Brigade Lautaro, responsible for the detention, confinement, and disappearance of PC members in 1976. The revelation came from a former waiter who had worked at the DINA facility, and he provided testimony to investigators regarding the facility's functions, later reaffirming his account before Judge Víctor Montiglio.

The DINA barracks operated as a detention center, where the top communist leader of the clandestine party, Víctor Díaz López, met the same fate as all the other detainees—execution by DINA agents followed by helicopter transport for disposal into the sea to ensure their disappearance. Captain Juan Morales Salgado oversaw the facility, commanding nearly thirty DINA agents, including one woman, nurse Gladys Calderón. These agents had previously served at Villa Grimaldi, where they had acquired the skills and methods of repression against leftist opponents, including detention and torture. Approximately 80 members of the Communist Party passed through this extermination center.

Lack of a memorial site

The former Simón Bolívar Barracks, located at 8800 Simón Bolívar Street, was ultimately demolished and sold to a private individual. It currently houses a residential complex. In contrast to other DINA detention centers like Villa Grimaldi, no official memorial site has been established. On April 4, 2016, a small memorial was inaugurated nearby to commemorate the existence of this detention center. Situated in a plaza, this modest memorial pays tribute to the victims who were held at this facility.

Documentary

In 2011, a documentary titled El Mocito ("The Young Butler") was released, recounting the story of Jorgelino Vergara Bravo, who worked at the Simón Bolívar Barracks and witnessed the horrors that occurred there.

See also

• Human rights abuses in Chile under Augusto Pinochet

External links

• Cuartel Simón Bolívar on the Memoria Viva website (in Spanish)
• El mocito documentary on YouTube (in Spanish, with English subtitles)
• Interview with Jorgelino Vargas on CNN Chile (in Spanish)