Victims organization demand closure of ex-Colonia Dignidad tourist site [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

by Javiera León Badaracco
27 June, 2021



Families of political prisoners that lost their lives at Colonia Dignidad demand the closure of the facility in respect of the victims’ dignity. Led by German immigrants, Colonia Dignidad was an infamous torture center during the Pinochet dictatorship. Rebranded in 2005, it now functions as a tourist site that sells Bavarian clichés.

Victims’ organizations from Talca, Parral, Santiago, Concepción, Chillán, Valparaíso, Valdivia and Osorno, along with NGO Codepu and the Casa Memoria José Domingo Cañas foundation are demanding the Chilean and German governments shut down the Villa Baviera tourist site and turn it into a memorial.

Villa Baviera is the predecessor of Colonia Dignidad, which was a concentration camp and sect run by German immigrants and religious fundamentalists in southern Chile. Members had to obey Paul Schäfer, a pedophile who was well-connected to the dictatorship. In underground cells at the camp, political prisoners were tortured and killed.

The organizations received information only on Thursday that in 2019 already some experts presented proposals to Germany and Chile about how to turn Villa Baviera into a memorial site and commemorate the victims, Radio Cooperativa reported on Saturday.

More:
https://chiletoday.cl/victims-organization-demand-closure-of-ex-colonia-dignidad-tourist-site/