Carmen Gloria Quintana
Encyclopedia
Carmen Gloria Quintana Arancibia (born c. 1968) is a Chile
an woman who suffered severe, almost fatal burns in an incident where she and other youngsters were detained by an army patrol during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet
. She survived, and thereafter became a symbol of hope for democracy in Chile to many, receiving an embrace and encouragement from Pope John Paul II
.
in Santiago. That day a national protest was taking place against the military dictatorship of General Pinochet. The group were carrying five used car tyres, molotov cocktail
s and a gallon of petrol. They were intercepted by a military patrol that was engaged in demolishing barricades in the area of Avenida General Velásquez. All of the group managed to escape except Quintana and Rodrigo Rojas DeNegri
, a young photographer. The patrol, under the command of Lieutenant Pedro Fernández Dittus, was composed of three officers, five non-commissioned officers, and 17 soldiers.
There are two versions of the succeeding events: according to the official version of the military patrol as Quintana and Rojas were arrested, some of the molotov cocktails they were carrying broke, setting them on fire accidentally. The opposing version (of Quintana, the only survivor) alleges that both of them were severely beaten by military personnel, and later soaked with petrol and set on fire.
What is clearly known is that after both of them were in flames and unconscious, patrol members wrapped them in blankets, loaded them into a military vehicle and drove them to an isolated road in the outskirts of Santiago, over 20 kilometres away. There, in an irrigation ditch, they were dumped and left to die. Some agricultural workers found them and notified the police, who then took them to a public hospital.
Quintana and Rojas were later transferred to another hospital, but Rojas died from his injuries four days later. Despite the second and third degree burns that Quintana suffered on 62% of her body, with many teeth broken – she was in critically ill for several weeks – she finally survived. She was given extensive medical treatment in Chile and in Canada, but she still bears disfiguring scars as a result of her burns.
(about US$500,000) in compensatory damages.
During the visit to Chile of Pope John Paul II, Carmen Gloria Quintana met the pontiff in Santiago in a very emotional event.
. Her teaching post deals specifically with the treatment of children and adolescents. She worked for many years at the Gustavo Fricke Hospital in Valparaiso
and currently works with SENAME, the national Chilean organisation for the protection of the rights of minors and adolescents.
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 woman who suffered severe, almost fatal burns in an incident where she and other youngsters were detained by an army patrol during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
. She survived, and thereafter became a symbol of hope for democracy in Chile to many, receiving an embrace and encouragement from Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
.
Events
At 8 a.m. on 2 July 1986 she was part of a small group of people preparing a barricade in Los Nogales, part of the district of Estación CentralEstación Central
Estación Central is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. Its name comes from the Estación Central railway station located in the commune.-Demographics:...
in Santiago. That day a national protest was taking place against the military dictatorship of General Pinochet. The group were carrying five used car tyres, molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s and a gallon of petrol. They were intercepted by a military patrol that was engaged in demolishing barricades in the area of Avenida General Velásquez. All of the group managed to escape except Quintana and Rodrigo Rojas DeNegri
Rodrigo Rojas DeNegri
Rodrigo Andrés Rojas De Negri was a young photographer who was burned alive during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile.-Background:...
, a young photographer. The patrol, under the command of Lieutenant Pedro Fernández Dittus, was composed of three officers, five non-commissioned officers, and 17 soldiers.
There are two versions of the succeeding events: according to the official version of the military patrol as Quintana and Rojas were arrested, some of the molotov cocktails they were carrying broke, setting them on fire accidentally. The opposing version (of Quintana, the only survivor) alleges that both of them were severely beaten by military personnel, and later soaked with petrol and set on fire.
What is clearly known is that after both of them were in flames and unconscious, patrol members wrapped them in blankets, loaded them into a military vehicle and drove them to an isolated road in the outskirts of Santiago, over 20 kilometres away. There, in an irrigation ditch, they were dumped and left to die. Some agricultural workers found them and notified the police, who then took them to a public hospital.
Quintana and Rojas were later transferred to another hospital, but Rojas died from his injuries four days later. Despite the second and third degree burns that Quintana suffered on 62% of her body, with many teeth broken – she was in critically ill for several weeks – she finally survived. She was given extensive medical treatment in Chile and in Canada, but she still bears disfiguring scars as a result of her burns.
Aftermath
On 3 January 1991, a military tribunal found Fernández Dittus guilty of negligence for having failed to get medical help for Rojas, but he was cleared of any responsibility for the burning of Quintana. In 1993 the Supreme Court of Chile sentenced Fernández Dittus to 600 days in prison for his responsibility in the burning death of Rojas DeNegri and the serious burns sustained by Quintana. In October 2000 a court ordered the government to pay Quintana 251.7 million pesosChilean peso
The peso is the currency of Chile. The current peso has circulated since 1975, with a previous version circulating between 1817 and 1960. The symbol used locally for it is $. The ISO 4217 code for the present peso is CLP. It is subdivided into 100 centavos, although no centavo denominated coins...
(about US$500,000) in compensatory damages.
During the visit to Chile of Pope John Paul II, Carmen Gloria Quintana met the pontiff in Santiago in a very emotional event.
Current life
Carmen Gloria Quintana now works on the teaching staff of the School of Psychology of the University of Andres Bello in Viña del MarViña del Mar
Viña del Mar , is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Its long stretches of white sandy beaches are a major attraction for national and international tourists. The city is Chile's main tourist attraction. Known as "La Ciudad Jardín" , Viña del Mar is a Chilean Municipality located...
. Her teaching post deals specifically with the treatment of children and adolescents. She worked for many years at the Gustavo Fricke Hospital in Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
and currently works with SENAME, the national Chilean organisation for the protection of the rights of minors and adolescents.
See also
- Chile under PinochetChile under PinochetChile was ruled by a military dictatorship headed by Augusto Pinochet from 1973 when Salvador Allende was overthrown in a coup d'etat until 1990 when the Chilean transition to democracy began. The authoritarian military government was characterized by systematic suppression of political parties and...
- Chilean political scandalsChilean political scandalsA political scandal is a kind of political corruption that is exposed and becomes a scandal, in which politicians or government officials are accused of engaging in various illegal, corrupt, or unethical practices...