Chile: Information on the current situation of the Lautaro group and on government measures to combat this group
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CHL23971.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Chile: Information on the current situation of the Lautaro group and on government measures to combat this group, 1 May 1996, CHL23971.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac0874.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Updated information available to the DIRB on the Lautaro Group is scarce. A Latin American Weekly Report (LAWR) mentions that
A military court has passed death sentences on the leader of the Lautaro terrorist organisation, Guillermo Ossandón, and four other lautaristas, for their part in the killing of four prison guards during a gaolbreak in 1990. This is the first such sentence since elected civilian rule was restored in Chile. The supreme court is reviewing the trial (26 Jan. 1995, 36).
This information is corroborated in a 12 January 1995 news release by Agence France Presse. The article identifies the members sentenced to death as Guillermo Ossandón, leader of the group, Jaime Pinto Agloni, Julio Prado Bravo, Jaime Celis Adasme and Patricio Gallardo Trujillo. The article also states that "according to the Chilean police, the anarchist Lautaro organization is behind most of the attacks and homicides responsible for the death of policemen and civilians over the last ten years" (ibid.).
A 22 January 1995 article of the French newspaper Libération mentions that since the arrest and detention of Guillermo Ossandón in April 1994, the Lautaro organization has been inactive.
Information on government measures to combat this group could not be found among the sources available to the DIRB. Please find attached a recent article on the latest terrorist activities in Chile and Argentina.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted for this Response to Information Request.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 12 January 1995. "Condamnation à mort de cinq guérilleros chiliens." (NEXIS)
Latin American Weekly Report (LAWR) [London]. 26 January 1995. "Chile: Sentences."
Libération. 22 January 1995. "Cinq membres du groupe armé Lautaro jugés au Chili." (NEXIS)
Attachment
Latin American Weekly Report (LAWR) [London]. 2 May 1996. "Trends: Terrorism Returning to Southern Cone?," pp. 186-187.
Additional Sources Consulted
Andean Newsletter [Lima]. 1995-1996.
Communist and Marxists Parties of the World. 1990. 2nd ed. Compiled by Charles Hobday. Revised and updated by Roger East. Chicago: St. James Press.
Critique: Review of the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. 1994. New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.
Inter-Church Committee on Human Rights in Latin America (ICCHRLA). 1992-1994. Annual Reports: General Concerns and Brief Country Reports.
Keesing's Record of World Events. 1990-1994. Edited by Roger East. London: Longman.
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 1995-1996.
Latin America Update [Washington]. 1995.
Latin American Newsletters [London]. 1992-1994.
Latin American Regional Reports: Southern Cone Report [London]. 1992-1994.
Latin American Special Reports [London]. 1992-1994.
News From Americas Watch [New York]. 1992-1994.
Problèmes d'amérique latine. 1992-1994.
Revolutionary and Dissident Movements: An International Guide. 1991. 3rd ed. London: Longman Group UK.
