In solidarity with the Chilean people, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of their 9/11, we call on those committed to peace and accountability to support the “Justice for Victor Jara” campaign. The transcendental singer, artist, teacher, theater director, and political activist was killed (along with hundreds of others) in the days following the CIA-supported military coup of September 11, 1973, which ushered in the brutal dictatorship of another SOA graduate, Augusto Pinochet.
Jara was first held and tortured in the the infamous Estadio Chile (since renamed Estadio Victor Jara), which was turned into a nightmarish detention and torture center after the coup. Survivors and other witnesses claim that military officers broke Jara’s hands with the butts of their rifles before mockingly asking him to play his famous songs. Defiantly, Jara sang part of “Venceremos” (We Will Win). His body was later dumped in the street, found riddled with 44 bullets and signs of extensive torture.
