A communiqué from FAMIDESA pointed out that the aftermath of that dark period lingers on the region, and so evoked the victims of the Condor Plan, implemented by the dictatorships in South America with the complicity of the U.S. Government.

The organization went on to recall that under Pinochet’s dictatorship some 200,000 Chileans were forced into exile and 40,000 of them suffered detention and torture.

Thousands were murdered back then, and at least 1,500 are still missing, the statement underscored.

The movement remarked that the impunity of those responsible continues to be an obstacle to find justice, and noted that evidence of these crimes continues to emerge, despite efforts by the perpetrators to cover their traces up.

FAMIDESA mentioned the names of Uruguayan victims who disappeared under Plan Condor, such as Ariel Arcos, Juan Angel Cabral and many others whose cases remain unresolved.

The communiqué reaffirmed the commitment to “denounce and repudiate State crimes,” and urged the governments of the region to deepen their investigations into crimes against humanity.

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