The settlement, which covers 16,000 hectares in the southern Maule region, was created in 1961 by Paul Schäfer, a Nazi convicted here of sexual abuse against minors.
During the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, the place was used by the secret police as a center for kidnapping, torture, extermination and disappearance of political opponents.
Margarita Romero, president of the Colonia Dignidad Association for Memory and Human Rights, welcomed the Government’s announcement about the expropriation of part of the land to create a historical site there, and expressed her desire to be included in the construction of that space. .
In statements to Diario and Radio Universidad de Chile, he recalled that in 2016 it was possible for the now known as Villa Baviera to be declared a National Monument, however, every time they try to carry out a commemorative activity there, entry is restricted.
“That is, we cannot freely tour the place where our relatives, our friends, colleagues and colleagues were and where they were kidnapped, tortured, murdered and made to disappear,” he denounced.
He added that judicial investigations are still being carried out at the site and these have been hindered by those who have lived in the neighborhood for decades.
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