Two former Chilean generals have been sentenced to jail for the torture of incumbent President Michelle Bachelet's father in 1973.
Edgar Cevallos Jones and Ramon Caceres Jorquera were sentenced to two and three years in prison respectively, for the torture of General Alberto Bachelet, who opposed a military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet.
Alberto Bachelet died in 1974, with investigators linking his death to the torture he received.
The BBC reported that in a letter to his family, Bachelet said, "I was detained in solitary confinement for 26 days... I was subjected to torture for 30 hours. They broke me inside."
Chilean government spokesman Alvaro Elizalde said the ruling “is a step forward precisely to advance in the truth and justice Chile needs."
However the sentence has been criticised by other torture victims in Chile as being too lenient. One man who was also tortured by the former generals told AP,
"I think it seems a bit ridiculous, that after all the years of repression, torture against hundreds of people from different organisations, they get three years.
Edgar Cevallos Jones and Ramon Caceres Jorquera were sentenced to two and three years in prison respectively, for the torture of General Alberto Bachelet, who opposed a military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet.
Alberto Bachelet died in 1974, with investigators linking his death to the torture he received.
The BBC reported that in a letter to his family, Bachelet said, "I was detained in solitary confinement for 26 days... I was subjected to torture for 30 hours. They broke me inside."
Chilean government spokesman Alvaro Elizalde said the ruling “is a step forward precisely to advance in the truth and justice Chile needs."
However the sentence has been criticised by other torture victims in Chile as being too lenient. One man who was also tortured by the former generals told AP,
"I think it seems a bit ridiculous, that after all the years of repression, torture against hundreds of people from different organisations, they get three years.