Police in Chile announced the capture of retired colonel Nelson Haase, one of eight men convicted for the 1973 murder of famed folk singer Victor Jara, who was killed five days after Augusto Pinochet’s military coup.
Haase, who received a 25‑year sentence in August 2023, fled after the court’s decision but was located in southern Chile on Saturday. He is now back in custody after almost three years as a fugitive.
Victor Jara, celebrated for his protest and pacifist songs, was arrested in the immediate aftermath of the coup and taken to a sports stadium in the capital where he was tortured and shot 44 times. He was one of about 5,000 people seized by the regime during the 17‑year dictatorship.
The case illustrates the brutal methods the Pinochet regime used against its opponents, including widespread torture, executions, and disappearances. Haase was one of eight officers found guilty in 2018, with the Chilean Supreme Court later sentencing him to 25 years total (15 years for murder, 10 for kidnapping).
In addition to Haase, another convicted officer, Gen Hernán Chacón, died by suicide when police attempted his arrest; the remaining five men remain in prison. The United States also extradited retired army lieutenant Pedro Barrientos, who a Florida jury convicted of Jara’s murder, to Chile in 2023.
