Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk commended the recent judgement by Chile’s Supreme Court on Operation Condor, a collaborative campaign by South American dictatorships in the 1970s and 80s. The operation aimed to persecute political opponents and dissidents across the region, resulting in numerous human rights violations.

According to Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Chilean Supreme Court, on 14 December, delivered a unanimous ruling confirming the convictions of 22 agents of the now-dissolved Directorate of National Intelligence (DINA). These agents were involved in kidnappings and qualified homicides of victims during Operation Condor. The court also mandated reparations for the victims.

High Commissioner Türk highlighted the long-lasting impact of the dictatorships’ actions on the victims’ families, societies, and the region’s history. He praised the resilience of victims and their families who have sought truth, justice, and reparations for decades. Türk expressed hope that this judgement would invigorate further accountability efforts in the region and help prevent such gross violations in the future.

The Operation Condor judgement is part of a series of recent Chilean court decisions involving crimes against humanity, including Operation Colombo, Death Caravan, Conference II, Paine, Fuente Ovejuna, Víctor Jara and Littré Quiroga, and Carmelo Soria.

Türk noted that victims and their families have waited nearly half a century for truth and justice regarding the human rights violations committed during the military dictatorship from 1973 to 1990. Official data indicates over 3,200 people were killed during this period, with half believed to have been forcibly disappeared.

The High Commissioner also acknowledged Chile’s progress in other aspects of transitional justice, such as the adoption of the National Search Plan and the State’s obligation to search for victims, a commitment reaffirmed in the judgement.

He emphasized the importance of accessing essential files containing testimonies and statements from torture and political imprisonment victims. Türk called for cooperation from all state institutions to determine the fate and whereabouts of all disappeared individuals, including babies stolen from their parents.