A former Chilean soldier accused of torturing and killing singer-songwriter Victor Jara 50 years ago has been extradited to Chile by the United States. Pedro Barrientos, 75, arrived at the capital Santiago airport on a flight from Miami, police confirmed. At the airport he was greeted with shouts of “Murderer, murderer!”
The former soldier, who had lived in the United States since 1989 and was deported there, lost his U.S. citizenship in July after a court ruled that he had withheld information about his military service. He has been wanted by the Chilean judiciary since 2013, accusing him of being one of Victor Jara’s assassins at the beginning of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship.
Victor Jara, a member of the Chilean Communist Party and an ardent supporter of President Salvador Allende, who was overthrown by Pinochet, was among the prisoners transferred to the stadium that now bears his name. There he was interrogated, tortured, killed and his body was found riddled with 44 bullets. Once in Santiago, Barrientos was taken by helicopter to a military zone in the east of the capital, where he was arrested and interrogated by judge Guillermo de la Barra.
On August 28, seven other retired soldiers were sentenced to eight to 15 years in prison for the murder of Victor Jara. One of them, 85 years old, committed suicide in August shortly before his imprisonment. In an interview with AFP, Victor Jara’s only daughter, Amanda, spoke of a “very long road” that must be covered before she receives justice. “But it hasn’t affected our lives. It’s good that the trial is over.”
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