The lawyer and independent legislator for the Maule region died at the age of 74, a victim of cancer.

“She left attentive, fighting until the end, and her life leaves these marks that will not be erased,” wrote X Boric on her account, who highlighted her fight for citizen prerogatives in the country’s dark times.

Despite being pregnant, Bulnes, along with her husband Roberto Celedón, were arrested after the 1973 coup d’état and subjected to torture, after being accused of having links with the Revolutionary Left Movement.

After living in exile in the Netherlands, they returned to the country and opened a law firm in the 1990s to help those who did not have access to justice due to their lack of financial resources.

“Our Mercedes Bulnes has passed away, but she leaves behind in all of us who knew her a beautiful memory of life and struggle. Always a loving and fierce defender of human rights,” said the government spokesperson, Camila Vallejo.

Meanwhile, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Karol Cariola, described her as a consistent, brave and combative woman.

The Frente Amplio party expressed its sorrow for the death of its colleague, whom it described as an “example of commitment and work for justice.”

Her wake will take place at the former headquarters of the National Congress, in Santiago.

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