Pinochet-era soldier jailed for killing folk singer Víctor Jara 53 years ago
Summary
Nelson Haase Mazzei, a retired Chilean colonel, has been arrested for his role in the 1973 murder of folk singer Víctor Jara during the Pinochet dictatorship. Haase Mazzei was one of seven retired soldiers sentenced in 2023 for Jara's killing, marking a major step in a decades-long quest for justice.Key Facts
- Víctor Jara was a Chilean folk singer and activist killed shortly after Pinochet's coup in 1973.
- He was arrested, tortured, and murdered in a stadium in Santiago, which is now named after him.
- Seven retired soldiers, including Nelson Haase Mazzei, were sentenced in absentia for the murder in August 2023.
- Haase Mazzei fled authorities but was arrested in southern Chile in 2024 and ordered to prison immediately.
- Another convicted soldier, Pedro Barrientos, was deported from the US to Chile in December 2023.
- Haase Mazzei was part of Pinochet’s secret police and worked closely with Manuel Contreras, a regime leader.
- The Pinochet dictatorship caused thousands of deaths, disappearances, and widespread torture over 17 years.
- Jara’s wife, Joan Jara, founded the Víctor Jara Foundation; she died shortly before Barrientos was returned to Chile.
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