Chile: Two years since proceedings began against anarchist comrades Juan, Nataly and Enrique [ENG]

Two years since the kidnapping of the comrades for the Bombs Case 2 we recall the events that have occurred in this case.

At dawn on September 18, 9 police bastards of the carabineros brutally raided the residence of Nataly Casanova, a home she was sharing with Juan Flores and Guillermo Duran. Having seen police pointing rifles, Nataly fled along the roofs of neighboring homes however her flight was in vain as the police captured her in a nearby house.

The three comrades were arrested by the police, who demanded their names and addresses, since their names weren’t known, in order to raid the houses of the direct relatives of the comrades to search for and seize phones, computers, sim cards and any black clothing that could be used to incriminate them.

Nataly’s house was partially destroyed in the raid and her basic belongings were completely destroyed.

Despite the fact that the case was being investigated by the southern prosecution office, the comrades were taken to a police station in Ñuñoa, specialists in setting people up, and had their blood samples forcibly extracted from them.

The next morning the feeding frenzy was detonated by the bourgeois mass media who demonized the existence of the three comrades. The detention controls against the comrades were extended for 5 days until Tuesday, September 23rd to allow sufficient time to assemble the charges against them.

The comrades were accused of the following attacks:

– terrorist attack against police station number 39 in the commune of El Bosque. This attack occurred on August 11, 2014. This charge was later withdrawn.

– terrorist attack on a subway car at Los Dominicos metro station on July 14, 2014.

– the most significant charge is the explosion at the SubCentro shopping center at Escuela Militar metro station that occurred on September 8, 2014. (Months later 25 victims have come forward claiming a range of injuries including hearing damage, loss of a phalanx finger bone and exposed fractures. The prosecution has convinced them that they will all receive compensation at the end of the trial). In order to increase the criminal charges and years of jail for the comrade Juan Flores the prosecution sought out victims of the attack, there are also complaints from private lawyers against the comrades. The office of the prosecutor and the attorney general are betting on a strategy of shocking the public rather than showing incriminating evidence.

– possession of black gunpowder that was supposedly buried in the courtyard of the house.

On Tuesday September 23 following 4 hours of fantasies, preventative detention was ordered for Juan and Nataly. Night house arrest was ordered for Guillermo, this was later appealed by the prosecution, resulting in total house arrest.

And so they spent 7 months in the dungeons, isolated from supporters. Violent raids, destruction of diverse expressions of comradeship, surveillance and harassment of relatives and close friends then culminated with a new detention.

On April 6, 2015 a new raid ended with the arrest of Enrique Guzmán who was a close friend and active supporter of the comrades who visited them in jail and organized solidarity events etc. Just like the arrests of September 18, the prosecution extended the detention period until April 13, and then ordered preventative detention.

On April 14 the comrades Nataly, Juan and Guillermo reacted quickly and began a hunger strike to demand the immediate release of Enrique Guzmán, an end to the isolation regime Nataly was being held under and an independent investigation to determine the veracity of the DNA evidence. Several other imprisoned comrades joined this initiative. After 51 days the preventative detention order against Enrique was removed and he was released into full house arrest and Nataly was moved from isolation to a new module so the comrades ended their hunger strike.

The brief rest that Enrique had at home only lasted a little over a week until the prosecution together with the San Miguel court of appeals decided that the comrade must return to prison. This was not the first time Enrique was granted house arrest and then returned to prison.

After one of many reformalizations the prosecution decided to drop all charges against Guillermo Duran, much to the joy of the kidnapped comrades.

Nearing two years since proceedings began some bad news returned that shocked the comrades relatives and close friends. The court tried to take possession of the house that Juan, Nataly and her daughter shared, for the purpose of paying for the damages at Los Dominicos and Escuela Militar. The families are trying desperately to save the house but everything was already pre-planned, even though the investigation is still open.

At present the comrades are awaiting early commencement of the trial. The harassment is getting stronger against the comrades, with them being subjected to one punishment after another, including being beaten along with other comrades they are imprisoned with.

It was during one of these many clashes that Enrique was transferred to another module and accused by the guards of belonging to a gang that kidnapped children which resulted in him being bashed by other prisoners and having to be moved from the module. He was placed in isolation where he remained incommunicado for 4 days.

While being moved to another module this time it was Juan’s turn to be placed in the maximum security section due to the extensive imagination of the guards and the head prosecutor who used one of the comrade’s drawings as ‘proof’ that he was attempting to escape.

Juan was returned to his former module but not before being insulted and bashed by the guards while he was shackled. Despite having very few possibilities to defend himself the comrade still put up a fight.

In the maximum security section, the prosecutor shamelessly offered Enrique a shortened trial in exchange for agreeing to all of their delusions.

The cowardice demonstrated by the authorities offers a clear image of how the trial will end and the actions of the comrades is the most beautiful image that we can take from all this.

We will not rest until we see them back on the streets.

At each attempt by the authorities to defeat them we will there to fight their bastard tricks.

(via Publicacion Refractario, translated by Insurrection News)