Carlos Lorca
Encyclopedia
Carlos Enrique Lorca Tobar (November 18, 1944 - disappeared 1975), was a Chile
an physician, president of the Students' Federation and then deputy for Valdivia province
and leader of the Socialist Party of Chile
.
After the 1973 coup
, the Socialist Party as well as the Communist Party
were targeted by Chile's secret police. On June 25, 1975, Dr. Lorca, a psychiatrist
teaching at the University of Chile, a former member of congress and a member of the political commission of the Socialist party central committee, and Modesta Carolina Wiff Sepulveda, 34, a social worker, were arrested at a laundromat on Calle Maule in Santiago de Chile
.
At this laundromat, contacts were made and orders were passed on within the Socialist party. Wiff was functioning as a liaison with the leadership, and was also responsible for carrying out some party tasks. The DINA secret police captured him, along with other opposition leaders, and they were transferred to Villa Grimaldi
detention center, from where all trace was lost. DINA agents searched Modesta Carolina Wiff's house a few hours after she was arrested. All the appeals for protection attempted in order to secure their release were in vain. Likewise the criminal process that the relatives initiated as a result of their being apprehended concluded when the criminal court declared itself incompetent and ordered that the trial proceedings be sent to the military justice system. According to independent testimony these two people were arrested and taken to the Villa Grimaldi
DINA facility. Since then there has been no further word about either of them.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an physician, president of the Students' Federation and then deputy for Valdivia province
Valdivia Province
Valdivia Province is one of two provinces of the southern Chilean region of Los Ríos . The provincial capital is Valdivia. Located in the province are two important rivers, the Calle-Calle / Valdivia River and the Cruces River.It is part of Northern Patagonia and its wild virgin forest embrace the...
and leader of the Socialist Party of Chile
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
.
After the 1973 coup
Chilean coup of 1973
The 1973 Chilean coup d'état was a watershed event of the Cold War and the history of Chile. Following an extended period of political unrest between the conservative-dominated Congress of Chile and the socialist-leaning President Salvador Allende, discontent culminated in the latter's downfall in...
, the Socialist Party as well as the Communist Party
Communist Party of Chile
The Communist Party of Chile is a Chilean political party inspired by the thoughts of Karl Marx and Lenin. It was founded in 1922, as the continuation of the Socialist Workers Party, and in 1934 it established its youth wing, the Communist Youth of Chile .In the last legislative elections in Chile...
were targeted by Chile's secret police. On June 25, 1975, Dr. Lorca, a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
teaching at the University of Chile, a former member of congress and a member of the political commission of the Socialist party central committee, and Modesta Carolina Wiff Sepulveda, 34, a social worker, were arrested at a laundromat on Calle Maule in Santiago de Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
.
At this laundromat, contacts were made and orders were passed on within the Socialist party. Wiff was functioning as a liaison with the leadership, and was also responsible for carrying out some party tasks. The DINA secret police captured him, along with other opposition leaders, and they were transferred to Villa Grimaldi
Villa Grimaldi
Villa Grimaldi was a complex of buildings used for the interrogation and torture of political prisoners by DINA, the Chilean secret police, during the government of Augusto Pinochet. The complex was located in Peñalolén, in the outskirts of Santiago, and was in operation from mid-1974 to mid-1978...
detention center, from where all trace was lost. DINA agents searched Modesta Carolina Wiff's house a few hours after she was arrested. All the appeals for protection attempted in order to secure their release were in vain. Likewise the criminal process that the relatives initiated as a result of their being apprehended concluded when the criminal court declared itself incompetent and ordered that the trial proceedings be sent to the military justice system. According to independent testimony these two people were arrested and taken to the Villa Grimaldi
Villa Grimaldi
Villa Grimaldi was a complex of buildings used for the interrogation and torture of political prisoners by DINA, the Chilean secret police, during the government of Augusto Pinochet. The complex was located in Peñalolén, in the outskirts of Santiago, and was in operation from mid-1974 to mid-1978...
DINA facility. Since then there has been no further word about either of them.
External links
- Truth Commissions Digital Collection: Reports: Chile PART THREE, Chapter Two (A.2.c) 1974 through August 1977
- Complete information on his captivity
- Chile 1977 Chapter II Case Nº 1958: CARLOS ENRIQUE LORCA TOBAR
- Partido Socialista de Chile