Rodrigo Rojas DeNegri
Encyclopedia
Rodrigo Andrés Rojas De Negri (March 7, 1967 - July 6, 1986) was a young photographer who was burned alive during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of General
Augusto Pinochet
in Chile
.
, the son of Verónica DeNegri, a communist party activist. In 1976 at the age of 10, and after the Chilean coup of 1973
, he was sent to live with relatives in Canada
. Soon thereafter, his mother was arrested for political activities against the government of General Augusto Pinochet
and later exiled. They were reunited and settled in the Washington D.C. area of the United States. There he attended Wilson High School, and later studied photography. In 1986, DeNegri, by then a young American
photographer, decided to visit Chile for the first time since he had left for the exile.
abuses. A national protest was organized for July 2 and 3rd, 1986. Rodrigo Rojas, who had been in the country for only six weeks, decided to try to participate and document the barricades that were going up in different areas of Santiago
.
At 8 AM on July 2, 1986, he was part of a small group of people that were setting up a barricade in the Los Nogales neighborhood, in the municipality of Estacion Central
. The group was carrying five old tires, a molotov cocktail
and a gallon of gasoline. They were intercepted by an army patrol that was clearing barricades in the area of General Velázquez Avenue. All escaped except for Rojas and Carmen Gloria Quintana
, an engineering student at the University of Santiago, Chile
. The patrol, under the command of Lieutenant Pedro Fernández Dittus, was composed of three officers, five noncommissioned officers, and 17 soldiers.
There are two versions of the succeeding events: according to the official version of the military patrol as Quintana and Rojas were arrested, some of the molotov cocktails they were carrying broke, setting them on fire accidentally. The opposing version (of Quintana, the only survivor) alleges that both of them were severely beaten by military personnel, and later soaked with gasoline and set on fire.
What is clearly known is that after both of them were in flames and unconscious, patrol members wrapped them in blankets, loaded them into a military vehicle and drove them to an isolated road in the outskirts of Santiago, over 20 kilometers away. There, in an irrigation ditch, they were dumped and left to die. Some agricultural workers found them and notified the police, who then took them to a public hospital.
Rodrigo Rojas' burns were fatal. He had second- and third-degree burns that covered 90 per cent of his body, a broken mandible and broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. He lingered for four days after the incident, and died on July 6, 1986.
was attended by thousands, including the ambassador, and ended with the Chilean military tear-gassing the mourners.
On January 3, 1991 a military court found Fernández Dittus guilty of negligence for failing to get medical attention for Rojas, but absolved him of any responsibility in the Quintana burning. In 1993 the Supreme Court
sentenced Fernández Dittus to 600 days in prison for his responsibility in the burning death of Rojas DeNegri and the serious burns sustained by Quintana. In October 2000 a court ordered the government to pay Quintana 251.7 million pesos
(about US$500,000) in compensatory damages.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
.
Background
Rodrigo Rojas was born in the port of ValparaísoValparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, the son of Verónica DeNegri, a communist party activist. In 1976 at the age of 10, and after the Chilean coup of 1973
Chilean coup of 1973
The 1973 Chilean coup d'état was a watershed event of the Cold War and the history of Chile. Following an extended period of political unrest between the conservative-dominated Congress of Chile and the socialist-leaning President Salvador Allende, discontent culminated in the latter's downfall in...
, he was sent to live with relatives in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Soon thereafter, his mother was arrested for political activities against the government of General Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
and later exiled. They were reunited and settled in the Washington D.C. area of the United States. There he attended Wilson High School, and later studied photography. In 1986, DeNegri, by then a young American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer, decided to visit Chile for the first time since he had left for the exile.
Events of the case
During this time Chile was experiencing widespread political instability and human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
abuses. A national protest was organized for July 2 and 3rd, 1986. Rodrigo Rojas, who had been in the country for only six weeks, decided to try to participate and document the barricades that were going up in different areas of Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
.
At 8 AM on July 2, 1986, he was part of a small group of people that were setting up a barricade in the Los Nogales neighborhood, in the municipality of Estacion Central
Estación Central, Chile
Santiago Estación Central , located in Santiago, Chile, is the city's only operating train station after the decommissioning of the Estación Mapocho. The Estación Central is the initial departure point for all rail traffic bound for southern Chile...
. The group was carrying five old tires, a molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
and a gallon of gasoline. They were intercepted by an army patrol that was clearing barricades in the area of General Velázquez Avenue. All escaped except for Rojas and Carmen Gloria Quintana
Carmen Gloria Quintana
Carmen Gloria Quintana Arancibia is a Chilean woman who suffered severe, almost fatal burns in an incident where she and other youngsters were detained by an army patrol during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet...
, an engineering student at the University of Santiago, Chile
University of Santiago, Chile
The University of Santiago of Chile is one of the oldest public universities in Chile.The institution was born as Escuela de Artes y Oficios in 1849, under the government of Manuel Bulnes...
. The patrol, under the command of Lieutenant Pedro Fernández Dittus, was composed of three officers, five noncommissioned officers, and 17 soldiers.
There are two versions of the succeeding events: according to the official version of the military patrol as Quintana and Rojas were arrested, some of the molotov cocktails they were carrying broke, setting them on fire accidentally. The opposing version (of Quintana, the only survivor) alleges that both of them were severely beaten by military personnel, and later soaked with gasoline and set on fire.
What is clearly known is that after both of them were in flames and unconscious, patrol members wrapped them in blankets, loaded them into a military vehicle and drove them to an isolated road in the outskirts of Santiago, over 20 kilometers away. There, in an irrigation ditch, they were dumped and left to die. Some agricultural workers found them and notified the police, who then took them to a public hospital.
Rodrigo Rojas' burns were fatal. He had second- and third-degree burns that covered 90 per cent of his body, a broken mandible and broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. He lingered for four days after the incident, and died on July 6, 1986.
Aftermath
The US ambassador to Chile at the time was unsuccessful at securing the transport of the severely injured Rojas to a better hospital before his death, which happened four days after the attack. His funeral in SantiagoSantiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
was attended by thousands, including the ambassador, and ended with the Chilean military tear-gassing the mourners.
On January 3, 1991 a military court found Fernández Dittus guilty of negligence for failing to get medical attention for Rojas, but absolved him of any responsibility in the Quintana burning. In 1993 the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Chile
The Supreme Court of Chile is the highest court in Chile. It also administrates the lower courts in the nation. It is located in the capital Santiago....
sentenced Fernández Dittus to 600 days in prison for his responsibility in the burning death of Rojas DeNegri and the serious burns sustained by Quintana. In October 2000 a court ordered the government to pay Quintana 251.7 million pesos
Chilean peso
The peso is the currency of Chile. The current peso has circulated since 1975, with a previous version circulating between 1817 and 1960. The symbol used locally for it is $. The ISO 4217 code for the present peso is CLP. It is subdivided into 100 centavos, although no centavo denominated coins...
(about US$500,000) in compensatory damages.