Osvaldo Romo
Encyclopedia
Osvaldo Romo Mena was an agent of the Chile
an Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA) from 1973 to 1990, during the rule of Augusto Pinochet
. Involved in the forced disappearance
of more than a hundred persons (among which the Spanish priest Antonio Llidó Mengual, member of Cristianos por el socialismo (Christians for Socialism) and MIR members Diana Aron Svigilsky, Manuel Cortez Joo and Ofelio Lazo), he was sentenced in total 92 years of prison, but several of these sentences were suspended by the Chilean Supreme Court .
Known as Guatón Romo ("Fatso Romo") or Comandante Raúl, he was one of DINA's most important torture
rs, operating among others centers in Villa Grimaldi
. On April 11, 1995, in an interview televised by Univisión
, he commented in great detail, and evidently without remorse, on the techniques that had been used. These included the application of electricity to women's nipples and genitals, the use of dogs, and the insertion of rats into women's vaginas .
, Romo, as one of the most important figures of the Pinochet regime, was pursued by prosecutors and localized in Sao Paulo
, living with his wife and his five children in June 1992 . Arrested by the Brazilian police, he was extradited
to Chile in November 1992 . He was sentenced to ten years in prison for the kidnapping of MIR
member Manuel Cortez Joo and five years and a day for the kidnapping of Ofelio Lazo, who was "disappeared
" in July 1974.
Romo, suffering from diabetes and heart failure, was moved to the hospital of Santiago Penitentiary on July 3, 2007, and died the following day. His funeral, held on July 5 at the Cementerio General de Santiago, was completely unattended.
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 Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA) from 1973 to 1990, during the rule of Augusto Pinochet
Chile under Pinochet
Chile 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...
. Involved in the forced disappearance
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
of more than a hundred persons (among which the Spanish priest Antonio Llidó Mengual, member of Cristianos por el socialismo (Christians for Socialism) and MIR members Diana Aron Svigilsky, Manuel Cortez Joo and Ofelio Lazo), he was sentenced in total 92 years of prison, but several of these sentences were suspended by the Chilean Supreme Court .
Life
Osvaldo Romo made himself known in working classes' neighborhoods before Pinochet's coup in 1973 as a leftist activist, member of the Partido Socialista Popular and sympathizant of the MIR . Following the coup, he reappeared in these neighborhoods with a military uniform, arresting his friends and contacts. Left-wing circles still debate to know if he suddenly changed political orientation or if he always was a mole for the security services .Known as Guatón Romo ("Fatso Romo") or Comandante Raúl, he was one of DINA's most important torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
rs, operating among others centers in 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...
. On April 11, 1995, in an interview televised by Univisión
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
, he commented in great detail, and evidently without remorse, on the techniques that had been used. These included the application of electricity to women's nipples and genitals, the use of dogs, and the insertion of rats into women's vaginas .
Life in Brazil and arrest
In 1977, Romo was sent to Brazil by his superiors, where he may have participated in death squads according to human rights NGO . During Chile's transition to democracyChilean transition to democracy
The Chilean transition to democracy began when a Constitution establishing a transition itinerary was approved in a plebiscite. From March 11, 1981 to March 11, 1990, several organic constitutional laws were approved leading to the final restoration of democracy...
, Romo, as one of the most important figures of the Pinochet regime, was pursued by prosecutors and localized in Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, living with his wife and his five children in June 1992 . Arrested by the Brazilian police, he was extradited
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
to Chile in November 1992 . He was sentenced to ten years in prison for the kidnapping of MIR
Revolutionary Left Movement (Chile)
Revolutionary Left Movement is a Chilean political party and former left-wing guerrilla organization founded on October 12, 1965...
member Manuel Cortez Joo and five years and a day for the kidnapping of Ofelio Lazo, who was "disappeared
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
" in July 1974.
Romo, suffering from diabetes and heart failure, was moved to the hospital of Santiago Penitentiary on July 3, 2007, and died the following day. His funeral, held on July 5 at the Cementerio General de Santiago, was completely unattended.