<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has assured that the Spanish Embassy in Chile "has been regularly monitoring all ongoing judicial cases related to Spanish victims during the Chilean dictatorship" of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).</strong></h4> In response to a parliamentary question submitted on April 14 by Enrique Santiago of Sumar, the Ministry assured on May 13 that the Embassy has maintained contact with both the Undersecretariat of Human Rights of the Chilean Ministry of Justice and with the lawyers involved in the cases, and, on occasion, with the victims' families. Thanks to these efforts, it continued, "six judicial cases have been identified as already concluded in the Chilean judicial system." Several of these cases "have recently been closed through final rulings in the Supreme Court," it specified. According to the Ministry, "there is currently an ongoing legal case involving Spanish victims during the dictatorship in Chile." These are Margarita Eliana Martin Martínez (of Chilean and Spanish nationality), María Paz Martín Martínez (of Chilean and Spanish nationality), and Isidro Salinas Martin, three members of a family executed by Carabineros police officers in the early hours of June 30 and July 1, 1986. The case was dismissed by the Military Justice system in 1993, but "thanks to the support of several human rights organizations," the Undersecretary of the Interior filed a complaint for these three crimes in 2010, which was processed by the San Miguel Court of Appeals through the first instance investigating judge. That same year, in September, the victims' brother and uncle joined the case, also filing a criminal complaint. "As of today, the case remains open in the San Miguel Court of Appeals," and the investigating judge "has ordered and carried out numerous investigative proceedings, expert reports, and other judicial actions. The case is currently under review, with no one charged," the Ministry explained. Separately, the Spanish ambassador to Chile, Rafael Garranzo, met with the family and the lawyer responsible for the case and led negotiations with the Undersecretary of Human Rights at the Ministry of Justice, the most recent of which took place on March 28. Furthermore, the Spanish Embassy has participated in recent years in several memorial services for victims of the dictatorship in Chile with Spanish nationality, including Carmelo Soria, a Spanish official with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), assassinated in 1976; and priests Joan Alsina and Antonio Llidó. In addition, the Spanish Embassy regularly collaborates with the Museum of Memory in the tributes and events it organizes specifically for Spanish victims, as well as in memorial services for all victims. These events are usually held on Human Rights Day and in the days surrounding the anniversary of the Chilean coup d'état (September 11, 1973), when all victims of repression are commemorated. Cases related to Spanish victims of the dictatorship are managed by the Spanish Embassy in Chile, with the support of the Consulate General and through ongoing collaboration with the Undersecretary of Human Rights of the Ministry of Justice, the Museum of Memory in Santiago de Chile, and the various memorials throughout the country.
