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RITOQUE
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Location:
Near the town of Ritoque in the province of Valparaiso. The government of Salvador Allende built Ritoque as a holiday beach resort for low-income families. It was owned by the CUT, the central labor confederation. Its structure was similar to Melinka, another beach complex which also became a concentration camp. The military enclosed the seaside development with wooden fences and barbed wire to prepare it for prisoners.
Duration:
June 1974 until 1975.
Prisoners:
The imprisoned members of Salvador Allende’s Popular Unity (UP) government, until then held at Dawson Island, were brought to Ritoque in June 1974. In October of that same year, more prisoners were transferred there from Chacabuco and Tres Alamos.
Conditions:
The UP prisoners were kept separate from the other prisoners. Visits by close family members only were permitted on Saturdays. Food was similar to other camps.
The camp fell within the jurisdiction of the Quintero Air Base a few kilometers away, but guard duty rotated between the FACH and Carabineros.
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