Chilean Woman’s Extradition Fight Ends with Loss

A 72-year-old Chilean woman, accused of abducting and torturing dissenters during General Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, has failed in her bid to avoid being sent back to her home country. The federal court in Australia rejected her legal challenge, clearing the way for her to face trial over alleged crimes committed in the 1970s.

Rivas, who moved to Australia in 1978, worked as a domestic worker in Bondi, a Sydney suburb. She was first detained in Chile in 2006 but returned to Australia on bail. Chile formally sought her extradition in 2014, citing her involvement in the disappearance of seven individuals, which she denies. The Pinochet era, spanning 1973 to 1990, saw over 40,000 people persecuted and approximately 3,000 killed.

During her time in Chile, Rivas served as the personal secretary to Manuel Contreras, the head of the secret police. She was associated with the National Intelligence Directorate (Dina), the intelligence agency established by Pinochet to target political opponents. Dina was responsible for abducting, torturing, and killing thousands, with many victims disappearing without a trace.

“The families were truly, truly delighted” with the court’s ruling, said a lawyer representing the victims’ relatives. This sentiment follows years of legal contention, as Rivas contested the extradition claim, arguing it lacked sufficient legal foundation.

Chilean prosecutors allege that Rivas participated in the 1976 forced disappearance of Víctor Díaz, the Communist Party’s secretary-general, and six other members. The youngest victim, Reinalda del Carmen Pereira Plaza, was 29 and pregnant at the time. All seven are believed to have died in custody.

Rivas, in a 2013 interview with SBS, described her years with Dina as “the best of my life” and claimed no wrongdoing. “They had to break the people – it has happened all over the world, not only in Chile,” she stated. However, witnesses featured in a documentary by her niece, Lissette Orozco, assert she was a key figure in the Lautaro Brigade, a unit tasked with eliminating Communist Party leadership.

The documentary, which took five years to complete, was showcased at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival. Rivas continues to deny participation in torture sessions, leaving the possibility of an appeal open. If no further challenges are mounted, she will be extradited to stand trial for aggravated kidnapping charges.