Chile: Alleged human rights abusers on Army payroll

Thirteen retired military officers facing prosecution for human rights crimes and corruption as well as one who has been convicted are still on the Chilean army's payroll. "We agree that everyone has the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty," but in this case, the circumstances in which these officers left the army should be investigated, Virginie Houdmont, with rights watchdog Amnesty International, told IPS. Meanwhile, it was reported Tuesday that arrest warrants were issued for more than 120 former agents of the 1973-1990 dictatorship's notorious DINA secret police. The warrants are in connection with three major human rights cases: Operation Colombo, a disinformation ploy mounted by DINA in 1974 to cover up the forced disappearance of 119 leftists, making it look like they had been killed in internal purges by left-wing groups; Operation Condor, a coordinated plan among the military governments that ruled numerous South American countries in the 1970s and 1980s aimed at eliminating left-wing opponents; and the "Calle Conferencia" case, which takes its name from the place where the leaders of the Communist Party were killed in 1976.