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GUEST: Joao Da Silva, Communications Coordinator at School of the Americas Watch, son of a political exile from Chile and a former political prisoner from Brazil

Legendary Chilean folk singer Victor Jara was one of thousands of people tortured and murdered in the days following the U.S. backed military coup of Salvador Allende’s democratically elected government. For decades, the person responsible for the murder of Victor Jara was simply known by the nickname, “The Prince.” However, through the continued testimonies of torture survivors, a name has emerged; that of Edwin Dimter Bianchi. A graduate of the infamous School of the Americas, Dimter was assigned to Estadio Chile, where Jara and others were held, following the coup. According to victims’ testimonies, Dimter quickly gained a reputation for exceptional cruelty. Eventually discharged from the military, Edwin Dimter Bianchi began working for the Pinochet dictatorship as an accountant. On May 25th of 2006, the FUNA Commission in Chile gathered outside of the Department of Labor, where Dimter continues to work to this very day, in the capital city of Santiago to protest the presence of Dimter. A group of 15 activists, including the daughter of the late Victor Jara, confronted Edwin Dimter directly in his office.

Read Joao Da Silva’s article on Commondreams.org.

Photos of Dimter being confronted by protestors can be found here.