Victim’s defense council is demanding more compensation from the Chilean and German governments after lengthy trial.
Six former leaders of the Colonia Dignidad, an infamous torture ring in southern Chile, were sentenced to prison by Chile’s Supreme Court Monday, but the case, which prosecuted Chilean and German citizens for crimes committed in the 1990s, is not over yet.
Lawyer and former settler of the Colonia Dignidad, Winfried Hempel, announced on Tuesday the launch of a hefty lawsuit against the Chilean and German governments for negligence of alleged knowledge of structured torture and human rights violations.
“These convictions are the basis for us to pursue the indirect liability of the state of Chile, because the Chilean state had perfect knowledge they were committing such crimes for 50 years,” Hempel told El Dinamo.
The lawyer spent 20 years in the colony before escaping in 1997.
“The crimes were not hidden, serious crimes were committed in full view of all public institutions, who did nothing (to stop the crimes),” he added.
Various factors, such as the type of crimes suffered and the amount of time spent in the colony, among other factors, reportedly amounts to a combined total of US$281 million for the 119 victims filing suit.
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Six former leaders of the Colonia Dignidad, an infamous torture ring in southern Chile, were sentenced to prison by Chile’s Supreme Court Monday, but the case, which prosecuted Chilean and German citizens for crimes committed in the 1990s, is not over yet.
Lawyer and former settler of the Colonia Dignidad, Winfried Hempel, announced on Tuesday the launch of a hefty lawsuit against the Chilean and German governments for negligence of alleged knowledge of structured torture and human rights violations.“These convictions are the basis for us to pursue the indirect liability of the state of Chile, because the Chilean state had perfect knowledge they were committing such crimes for 50 years,” Hempel told El Dinamo.
The lawyer spent 20 years in the colony before escaping in 1997.
“The crimes were not hidden, serious crimes were committed in full view of all public institutions, who did nothing (to stop the crimes),” he added.
Various factors, such as the type of crimes suffered and the amount of time spent in the colony, among other factors, reportedly amounts to a combined total of US$281 million for the 119 victims filing suit.
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