Chile: Information on the violent activities of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) and its splinter groups since 1995, and on whether FPMR members remain imprisoned
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 August 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CHL27530.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Chile: Information on the violent activities of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) and its splinter groups since 1995, and on whether FPMR members remain imprisoned, 1 August 1997, CHL27530.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6acdf12.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. |
The attached 19 August 1997 CHIP News report states that former Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) leader Sergio Buschmann is facing a possible 10-year prison sentence after being arrested a week earlier while signing his parole log. Another attached CHIP News report states that seven members of a FPMR faction will serve prison sentences ranging from three to 12 years for their participation in bombings in Antofagasta (17 July 1997).
A Latin American Weekly Report article states that in the aftermath of the jailbreak of four FPMR members on 30 December 1996, police arrested several FPMR members and seized their arms in an attempt to locate the fugitives (14 Jan. 1997, 28). The same report and a 14 February 1997 CHIP News report state that the Autonomous Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR-A), a faction of the FPMR, has been involved in several bank robberies and other common crimes (ibid., 29). The CHIP News report adds that the FPMR began these bank robberies in 1995 (ibid.).
Country Reports 1996 and Latinamerica Press report that the investigation into the April 1991 assassination of Senator Jaime Guzmán was reopened following the resignation of the police detective responsible for the 1991-1993 investigation (1997, 382; 23 Jan. 1997, 4). According to Latinamerica Press, two of the FPMR members who escaped in the December 1996 jailbreak were serving life sentences for their involvement in Guzmán's assassination (23 Jan. 1997, 4).
Information on the government response to the renewed FPMR activity and the FPMR December 1996 jailbreak is reported in the attached 14 February 1997 CHIP News article, the 23 January 1997 Latinamerica Press article and the 14 January 1997 Latin American Weekly Report article.
The attached 11 March 1997 CHIP News report states that armed student groups have emerged because of renewed FPMR activity, while the attached 6 January 1997 CHIP News report states that the FPMR-A's principal objective is no longer to carry out armed actions, but to work at a grassroots level with communities.
For additional information on the FPMR and the activities of its splinter groups from 1991 to 1995, please consult Response to Information Request CHL19564.E of 31 January 1995. For information on the suspension of FPMR-A activities and on the disbandment of the Patriotic Detachment Raul Peligrini, another FPMR faction, please consult Response to Information Request CHL19667.E of 8 February 1995.
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 in researching this Information Request.
References
CHIP News [Santiago]. 19 August 1997. "Current Events Briefs: Former FPMR Leader Sergio Buschmann Arrested." [Internet] [Accessed 26 Aug. 1997].
_____. 17 July 1997. "Current Events Briefs: FPMR Members Sentenced in Antofagasta." [Internet] [Accessed 26 Aug. 1997].
_____. 11 March 1997. "Armed Student Groups Emerging." [Internet] [Accessed 26 Aug. 1997].
_____. 14 February 1997. "Government Overlooked Terrorist Activities." [Internet] [Accessed 26 Aug. 1997].
_____. 6 January 1997. "What Is the FPMR Today?" [Internet] [Accessed 26 Aug. 1997].
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1996. 1997. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 23 January 1997. Vol. 29, No. 2. Pascale Bonnefoy. "Government Gets Tough on Subversion."
Latin American Weekly Report [London]. 14 January 1997. "Backing for Frei's Anti-Terror Drive."
Attachments
CHIP News [Santiago]. 19 August 1997. "Current Events Briefs: Former FPMR Leader Sergio Buschmann Arrested." [Internet] [Accessed 26 Aug. 1997].
_____. 17 July 1997. "Current Events Briefs: FPMR Members Sentenced in Antofagasta." [Internet] [Accessed 26 Aug. 1997].
_____. 11 March 1997. "Armed Student Groups Emerging." [Internet] [Accessed 26 Aug. 1997].
_____. 14 February 1997. "Government Overlooked Terrorist Activities." [Internet] [Accessed 26 Aug. 1997].
_____. 6 January 1997. "What Is the FPMR Today?" [Internet] [Accessed 26 Aug. 1997].
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 23 January 1997. Vol. 29, No. 2. Pascale Bonnefoy. "Government Gets Tough on Subversion," p. 4.
Latin American Weekly Report [London]. 14 January 1997. "Backing for Frei's Anti-Terror Drive," pp. 28-29.
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International Report. 1996-1997.
Andean Newsletter [Lima]. 1996-1997.
Human Rights Watch World Report. 1996-1997.
NACLA Report on the Americas [New York]. 1996-1997.
Electronic sources: DIRB Databases, Global News Bank, LEXIS/NEXIS, REFWORLD (UNHCR database), World News Connection (WNC).
