Villa Baviera: Un símbolo de horror que exige justicia y reparación verdadera

 Por Rodolfo Varela

El martes 22 de julio de 2025, fue publicado en el Diario Oficial de Chile el Decreto Exento N°60 del Ministerio de Vivienda y Urbanismo, que aprueba el Programa de Expropiación de Inmuebles que forman parte de la ex Colonia Dignidad, hoy conocida como Villa Baviera, en la comuna de Parral. Este acto marca un hito en la larga y dolorosa lucha por la memoria, la justicia y la reparación. 

Recordando los horrores de Colonia Dignidad en Chile

Un paso significativo, aunque tardío, hacia el reconocimiento del profundo daño causado por uno de los centros de tortura, esclavitud, desaparición y abuso más brutales de la dictadura cívico-militar.

Colonia Dignidad no fue simplemente una comunidad cerrada. Fue un enclave de horrores, donde se cometieron crímenes de lesa humanidad: torturas sistemáticas, desapariciones forzadas, ejecuciones extrajudiciales, violaciones de niños y niñas, sustracción de menores y venta ilegal de bebés a familias extranjeras. Todo esto ocurrió con la complicidad de sectores del poder político, judicial, militar y religioso, tanto en dictadura como en democracia. El silencio y la omisión institucional fueron parte del pacto de impunidad que protegió a sus perpetradores durante décadas.

El decreto reconoce expresamente la existencia de operaciones criminales como el “Operativo Cerro Gallo” y la “Operación Retiro de Televisores”, así como la ubicación de fosas clandestinas, sitios de incineración, centros de tortura y búnkeres subterráneos, muchos de los cuales hoy siguen sin investigación completa. Se estima que más de 117 hectáreas serán expropiadas, incluyendo la tristemente célebre casa de Paul Schäfer, el hospital clandestino, y otras infraestructuras utilizadas para reprimir y desaparecer personas.

Este acto administrativo es, sin duda, una señal de avance. La expropiación permite proteger esos espacios como sitios de memoria, una obligación internacional asumida por el Estado chileno en convenios como la Convención contra la Tortura, la Convención sobre Desapariciones Forzadas y el Estatuto de Roma. Pero la pregunta clave es: ¿es suficiente?

Una deuda que sigue creciendo

Han pasado más de 50 años desde que comenzó el horror en ese lugar, y recién ahora el Estado decide actuar con fuerza legal y patrimonial. ¿Cuántas víctimas murieron esperando justicia? ¿Cuántas familias fueron destrozadas para siempre? ¿Cuántos niños y niñas siguen sin conocer su verdadera identidad tras ser vendidos como mercancía, con participación activa de médicos, militares, politicos, jueces y religiosos?

ECCHR: Colonia Dignidad sigue siendo un capítulo oscuro de la historia jurídica alemana

Muchos de los responsables han muerto impunes. Otros siguen viviendo en libertad, incluso ocupando cargos públicos. Y lo más doloroso: la reparación integral aún está muy lejos de concretarse. Hay víctimas que sobreviven con pensiones miserables, con sus cuerpos y mentes dañados, con sus seres queridos desaparecidos. Y hay también una sociedad que no termina de mirar con verdad y coraje su propio pasado.

Este decreto debe ser el comienzo, no el cierre. Expropiar es necesario, pero no suficiente. Se requiere un plan nacional de búsqueda de personas desaparecidas, un aumento urgente en las reparaciones económicas y simbólicas, apoyo psicológico integral, justicia real para los culpables aún vivos y, sobre todo, garantías de no repetición.

Cumbre de líderes: ¿Qué democracia celebran?

Mientras el Estado chileno publica este decreto histórico, se anuncia la Cumbre “Democracia Siempre”, una reunión de presidentes de centroizquierda de países como Chile, Brasil, Colombia, España y Uruguay. Un evento que busca reafirmar el compromiso con las instituciones democráticas, la justicia social y los derechos humanos.

Pero no podemos quedarnos en el discurso. Estos gobiernos enfrentan crisis profundas de credibilidad, protestas sociales masivas, abusos policiales impunes y una inercia política alarmante frente a las víctimas del pasado y del presente.

Entonces, cabe una pregunta legítima y urgente: ¿de qué democracia estamos hablando? ¿Una democracia incompleta, elitista, desconectada del sufrimiento de su pueblo? ¿O una democracia valiente, que se atreve a mirarse al espejo y corregir sus errores históricos?

Si queremos hablar de “Democracia Siempre”, primero debemos cumplir la deuda con quienes lo perdieron todo cuando la democracia fue asesinada por las armas, y después fue traicionada por el silencio.

Villa Baviera: A symbol of horror demanding justice and true reparation

 By Rodolfo Varela

On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile published Exempt Decree No. 60 from the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism, approving the Expropriation Program for properties belonging to the former Colonia Dignidad, now known as Villa Baviera, in the commune of Parral. 

Remembering the horrors of Colonia Dignidad in Chile

This act marks a milestone in the long and painful struggle for memory, justice, and reparation. A significant—though long overdue—step toward recognizing the immense harm caused by one of the most brutal centers of torture, slavery, disappearance, and abuse under the civic-military dictatorship.

Colonia Dignidad was not just a secluded community. It was a stronghold of horrors, where crimes against humanity were committed: systematic torture, forced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, child sexual abuse, abduction of minors, and the illegal sale of babies to foreign families. All of this occurred with the complicity of political, judicial, military, and religious sectors—both under dictatorship and in democracy. Institutional silence and omission were part of the pact of impunity that protected the perpetrators for decades.

The decree explicitly acknowledges the existence of criminal operations such as “Operativo Cerro Gallo” and “Operation Removal of Televisions,” as well as the presence of clandestine graves, cremation sites, torture centers, and underground bunkers—many of which remain insufficiently investigated. Over 117 hectares are slated for expropriation, including the infamous house of Paul Schäfer, a clandestine hospital, and various structures used to repress and disappear people.

This administrative act is certainly a sign of progress. The expropriation will help preserve these spaces as sites of memory—an international obligation under conventions such as the Convention Against Torture, the Convention on Enforced Disappearances, and the Rome Statute. But the key question remains: is it enough?

A growing debt

More than 50 years have passed since the horrors began in that place, and only now has the State acted with legal and material force. How many victims died waiting for justice? How many families were torn apart forever? How many children still don’t know their true identity, after being sold like merchandise—with the active participation of doctors, judges, and clergy?

Many perpetrators have died without facing justice. Others remain free, some even holding public office. And most painful of all: comprehensive reparation is still a distant goal. Some victims survive on miserable pensions, with wounded bodies and minds, with their loved ones still missing. And society at large still struggles to look truthfully and courageously at its own past.

ECCHR: Colonia Dignidad remains a dark chapter of German legal history

This decree must be the beginning, not the end. Expropriation is necessary, but not sufficient. Chile urgently needs a national plan for the search of the disappeared, increased symbolic and economic reparations, psychological support, real justice for those still alive—and above all, guarantees of non-repetition.

Summit of leaders: What democracy do they celebrate?

While Chile’s government publishes this historic decree, leaders of center-left governments in Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, and Uruguay announce the “Democracy Always” Summit—a gathering to reaffirm their commitment to democratic institutions, social justice, and human rights.

But we cannot be satisfied with speeches. These same governments face deep crises of credibility, massive social protests, police brutality without consequence, and alarming political inertia regarding both past and present victims.

So, a legitimate and urgent question arises: what kind of democracy are we talking about? An incomplete, elitist democracy disconnected from its people’s suffering? Or a brave democracy, willing to look in the mirror and correct its historical mistakes?

If we want to speak of “Democracy Always,” we must first fulfill our debt to those who lost everything—first at gunpoint, and later, through institutional silence.

Claudio Zaidan acerta em cheio ao lembrar Salvador Allende: uma lição de história que não pode ser apagada

Por Rodolfo Varela

Em tempos de manipulações históricas e discursos vazios sobre democracia e liberdade, é raro encontrar vozes que se mantêm lúcidas, críticas e profundamente respeitosas com a verdade. Uma dessas vozes é a do jornalista e comentarista Claudio Scaff Zaidan, profissional consagrado do Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação, múltiplo vencedor do Troféu ACEESP entre 2014 e 2023. Com seu estilo direto, ético e inteligente, Zaidan tem se destacado não apenas no jornalismo esportivo, mas também nos comentários políticos que oferece nas tardes da Rádio Bandeirantes.

Polémica cumbre de izquierda en Chile

Ontem, Zaidan fez um comentário corajoso e preciso sobre o presidente Salvador Allende, o legítimo chefe de Estado do Chile que foi brutalmente derrubado e assassinado no golpe militar de 11 de setembro de 1973. Poucos jornalistas se atrevem a dizer com todas as letras o que os documentos e testemunhos já confirmaram: Allende não se suicidou. Foi assassinado pela ditadura sangrenta e nefasta de Augusto Pinochet.

Eu posso afirmar isso com a autoridade de quem viveu aquele dia terrível. Trabalhava, naquela manhã de 11 de setembro, na histórica Rádio Corporación CB 114, onde transmitimos ao vivo o primeiro pronunciamento do presidente Allende diante do levante militar. Na época, eu era diretor da rede de emissoras do norte do Chile. Vi, ouvi e senti a tragédia que se abatia sobre meu país. Ninguém pode me contar essa história — eu sou parte dela.

Quero deixar claro que não conheço Claudio Zaidan pessoalmente, mas o escuto diariamente e o admiro profundamente pela sua firmeza e honestidade intelectual. Parabenizo esse grande jornalista não só pela lembrança honesta de Salvador Allende, mas pela clareza ao afirmar que nem o Brasil, nem o Chile podem se transformar em uma nova Venezuela. São países com enorme potencial, riquezas naturais abundantes e um povo trabalhador. O que falta — e sempre faltou — é vontade política e diplomática para romper com a dependência histórica dos interesses norte-americanos e construir uma integração regional autêntica e soberana.

É verdade que os Estados Unidos precisam da América Latina tanto quanto a América Latina precisa dos Estados Unidos. Mas o que não se pode aceitar são essas reuniões populistas promovidas por certos governos latino-americanos — como vimos recentemente no Chile — falando em “democracia” e “liberdade de expressão” enquanto escondem suas enormes dívidas históricas com seus próprios povos.

O Chile é um caso emblemático. A democracia chilena ainda está em débito com:

• os presos políticos que passaram anos encarcerados e esquecidos;

• os exonerados políticos, que perderam seus trabalhos e meios de subsistência;

• os torturados e desaparecidos, cuja memória insiste em resistir ao silêncio;

• e as crianças sequestradas, vendidas a famílias estrangeiras com a cumplicidade de setores políticos, judiciais e religiosos.

Como podem estes mesmos setores hoje discursar sobre liberdade e direitos humanos, quando ainda não foram capazes de reparar as vítimas da ditadura?

Claudio Zaidan na bancada da Rádio Bandeirantes

A fala de Claudio Zaidan, ao resgatar a verdade sobre Salvador Allende, nos lembra que a história não pode ser enterrada sob conveniências ideológicas. E nos alerta que a democracia se constrói com memória, justiça e coragem. Coisas que ele, como jornalista íntegro, demonstra ter de sobra.

Claudio Zaidan hits the mark in remembering Salvador Allende: a history lesson that must not be erased

 

By Rodolfo Varela

In times of historical manipulation and hollow speeches about democracy and freedom, it is rare to find voices that remain lucid, critical, and deeply respectful of the truth. One of those voices is that of journalist and commentator Claudio Scaff Zaidan, a renowned professional at the Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação, and a multiple-time winner of the ACEESP Trophy between 2014 and 2023. With his direct, ethical, and intelligent style, Zaidan has stood out not only in sports journalism but also in the sharp political commentary he delivers every afternoon on Rádio Bandeirantes.

Controversial left-wing summit in Chile

Yesterday, Zaidan made a bold and accurate comment about President Salvador Allende, the legitimate head of state of Chile who was brutally overthrown and murdered during the military coup of September 11, 1973. Few journalists dare to state clearly what documents and witness accounts have already confirmed: Allende did not commit suicide. He was murdered by the bloody and nefarious dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

I can say this with the authority of someone who lived through that terrible day. On that morning of September 11, I was working at the historic Radio Corporación CB 114, where we broadcast live the first statement from President Allende as the coup unfolded. At the time, I was the director of the northern Chilean radio network. I saw, I heard, and I felt the tragedy that fell upon my country. No one can tell me that story — I am part of it.

Let me be clear: I don’t know Claudio Zaidan personally, but I listen to him every day and deeply admire and respect him for his consistency and intellectual honesty. I congratulate this outstanding journalist not only for his truthful recollection of Salvador Allende but for clearly stating that neither Brazil nor Chile should become a new Venezuela. These are nations of great potential, abundant natural resources, and hardworking people. What’s missing — and has always been missing — is political and diplomatic will to break with the historical dependence on U.S. interests and build an authentic and sovereign regional integration.

It’s true: the United States needs Latin America just as much as Latin America needs the United States. But what cannot be accepted are these populist summits held by certain Latin American governments — like the recent one in Chile — speaking about “democracy” and “freedom of expression” while hiding their massive historical debts to their own people.

Chile is a prime example. Chilean democracy is still indebted to:

• the political prisoners who spent years behind bars and were forgotten;

• the exonerated workers, who lost their jobs and livelihoods;

• the tortured and disappeared, whose memory refuses to be erased;

• and the children who were kidnapped and sold to foreign families with the complicity of political, judicial, and religious institutions.

How can these same sectors today talk about freedom and human rights when they have not yet repaired the victims of the dictatorship?

Claudio Zaidan on the Radio Bandeirantes panel

Claudio Zaidan’s statement, in rescuing the truth about Salvador Allende, reminds us that history cannot be buried for ideological convenience. And it warns us that democracy is built on memory, justice, and courage — qualities that Zaidan, as an honest journalist, clearly possesses in abundance.