By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America 

SANTIAGO, Chile — A former soldier from the days of the Pinochet dictatorship confessed to participating in at least 18 murders on a live radio show. Guillermo Reyes, going by the pseudonym “Alberto” called in to “Chacotero Sentimental” (Loving Betrayal), a radio show hosted by Roberto Artiagoitia, to talk about a failing romance. Instead, for twenty minutes, Reyes discussed his participation in the killings of Socialist Party prisoners.

According to Reyes, soldiers executed the prisoners by shooting them in the head, and then destroyed the victims’ remains with dynamite. In his call, Reyes expressed no remorse for his participation in the executions: “The first time (I killed someone), I cried but the lieutenant was saying, ‘Good soldier, good soldier, brave soldier.’ I liked the second time. I enjoyed it.”

Although he did not identify himself during the call, police were able to track the call back to Reyes. He was arrested and has so far been charged with killing Freddy Taberna Gallegos and German Palomino Lamas, both Socialist Party prisoners. Reyes is also being investigated by a human rights judge.

Reyes was drafted into Pinochet’s army as a young man and was then indoctrinated during military training in Santiago. He said he was “forced to kill” because commanders would execute conscripts for disobeying orders.

When challenged by radio host Artiagoitia about his moral conscience and “responsibilities as a human,” Reyes reiterated that he was following orders. “If we found them with a gun, we liquidated them.”

At the time of his call, Reyes was a 62-year old bus driver.

The Pinochet regime of 1973-1990 is considered one of the most violent periods of Chile’s history. Officially, 903 people were disappeared and 1,759 were executed. Chile has taken a number of steps in current months to recognize the victims and provide education regarding the human rights violations. Recently, President Michelle Bachelet created a Human Rights Department to implement policies to support Pinochet’s victims.

For more information, please see:

Guardian – Former Chilean soldier charged with murder after stunning radio confession – 11 December 2015 

Latin Correspondent – Chilean veteran confesses on radio to murder during Pinochet era – 16 December 2015 

TeleSur – Chile Creates Human Rights Department for Pinochet Era Murders – 17 December 2015

USA Today – Radio caller confesses to 18 murders – 17 December 2015

By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela — Employees at a Venezuelan Pepsi-Cola plant in Caucagua, in the Miranda state were “arbitrarily detained,” according to Polar. Polar, Venezuela’s largest food and drink producer, owns the local Pepsi division. Government inspectors from the Ministry of Labour reportedly visited the plant on Friday and ordered production to restart. The manager, two human resource workers and a lawyer were arrested by police.

A tweet released by Polar late on Sunday said that, “Pepsi-Cola Venezuela managed to obtain full freedom for its Caucagua plant workers who were arbitrarily detained on Friday.”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro frequently criticizes Polar and its CEO, Lorenzo Mendoza, of participating in an “Economic War” against the people. Days before the latest National Assembly election, Maduro referred to Mendoza as the “Oligarch of the devil.”

Pepsi, like a number of other products, have been in short supply in Venezuela in recent months. President Maduro accused Mendoza and Polar of purposely slowing down production and hoarding goods.

Mendoza and Polar say that production at the plant ceased due to the unavailability of necessary raw materials, which could not be imported due to Venezuelan currency controls. Maduro’s critics highlight that currency controls and price controls make it near impossible to import machinery and raw materials, or to profit from the production of consumer goods in Venezuela.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Venezuela Food producer Polar says local Pepsi workers freed – 20 December 2015 

BBC – Venezuela releases detained Pepsi workers – 21 December 2015 

Curacao Chronical – Venezuela Food Company Slams Detention of Local Pepsi Workers – 21 December 2015 

HCN Dayton News – Pepsi Employees in Venezuela Detained for Halting Operations Have Been Finally Set Free – 22 December 2015