(Avenida Grecia 2001, Ñuñoa)
"It is impossible not to ponder the history of the National Stadium: it was a refuge for Europeans fleeing Nazism in the Second World War; it was a joyous site of celebration when Chile won third place in the 1962 World Cup; it was made into a camp for the imprisoned, tortured and executed in 1973; it received the simple kiss of reparation from Pope John Paul II on soil that knew too much sorrow; it danced the "cueca" alone on March 12, 1990 in the days of “the fair and good homeland,” when Aylwin assumed power; it vibrated with music and human rights during the Amnesty International concert at the beginning of this decade. The National Stadium has more history than meets the eye."
(Augusto Góngora, La Tercera February 13, 1998, following a concert there by the U2 rock group, in which the
Relatives of the Families of the Disappeared came on stage to draw attention to their cause)
"Every night we would hear the screams of the workers who were executed in the east wing of the National Stadium in Santiago. The next day, the blood stains were washed away with hoses. Every day, observers would see a pile of shoes that had been worn by the victims of the previous night."
(Pablo Antillano, Venezuelan journalist in the Morning Star,
September 28, 1973. Chile. Libro Negro)
Between September 12 and 13, the National Stadium was turned into what would be the largest detention camp in Santiago. The Red Cross International estimates there were about 7,000 prisoners there as of September 22, and 200 to 300 of those were not Chilean citizens. The Army controlled the National Stadium and brought in prisoners from all over Santiago.
The National Stadium prisoners slept in the locker rooms and in the tower room, both places without beds. The women's areas did have sleeping mats. Some charitable international organizations subsequently donated blankets, which were in any case insufficient for the large number of people confined there. The prisoners were held incomunicado, without authorization to recieve visits from family members or lawyers, or any outside person. Prisoners' families were only allowed to take them clothing and food.
"Prisoners began to arrive at the National Stadium from all directions..."
(Read the testimony of Alberto Gamboa taken from his book Un Viaje por el Infierno,
volume I, published by La Partida, 1984.)
The prisoners spent most of the days sitting in the stadium bleachers. On September 17, reports reached the outside of a hooded man circulating among the stadium prisoners, pointing out leftist political activists to the Army officials who escorted him. The indicated prisoners were then taken to the inside chambers of the stadium where they were tortured. Years later, in October 1977, the hooded man revealed his identity to the Vicaría. His name was Juan Muñoz Alarcón, a former Socialist Party member who became an informant. Days after his confession, Muñoz was found dead with 17 knife wounds throughout his body.
The practice of torture and other abuses have been confirmed from reports of the National Stadium. The first aid station is known to have been used for this purpose. Mock executions and other inhumane practices were also conducted there. Generally, prisoners were subjected to constant and intense interrogations.
The International Red Cross states, in its report based on several visits to the National Stadium between September and October 1973, that "different prisoners complained of mistreatment and torture, at the time of their arrest and during the interrogations. The medical delegates of the Red Cross International Committee (RCIC), were able to verify evidence of physical and psychological torture in many prisoners."
The Rettig Commission is convinced of some executions that took place inside the National Stadium, as well as several cases in which individuals confined there were taken out to be killed. This happened, for example, with the U.S. citizens Charles Horman Lazar and Frank Teruggi Bombatch.
Ercilla magazine reported in October 1973 that 3,535 of the over 5,000 prisoners that underwent interrogation in the National Stadium were being released. Others were transferred to different detention centers. Coronel Jorge Espinoza, camp commander, bid farewell to the released prisoners with these words: "I hope you understand us. We were very angry with those who pushed us to take a stance. That explains how we made some mistakes with you all. But the anger has to be overcome and we have all to get back to work."
(Ercilla Oct. 17-23 1974 "Estadio Nacional. Masivo retorno a la casa")
|