Woman Accused of Torturing and Kidnapping People for Augusto Pinochet Set to Be Extradited to Chile

A woman who has lived in Australia is set to be extradited to Chile to face kidnapping charges. The woman has been accused of working for Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship in the 1970s.

For seven years, she has resisted Chile’s efforts to extradite her from Sydney, where she worked as a cleaner and a nanny. However, according to the latest updates, she has lost that legal battle.

Adriana Elcira Rivas allegedly worked for Pinochet’s secret police force. She has been accused of being involved in the disappearances of at least seven people in 1976. According to reports, one of them was a woman who was five months pregnant.

In 1973, Pinochet’s dictatorship violently overthrew Chile’s elected socialist government. The regime affected at least 40,000 people, some of whom were killed, tortured or jailed for political reasons.

Rivas, who is now in her 70s, has been accused of playing an active role in assisting the National Intelligence Directorate brigade. She was among those who participated in the physical and mental torture of people who opposed Pinochet’s regime.

Rivas denies the allegations. For seven years, she has resisted attempts to extradite her to Chile. Her legal team argues that the move should be blocked, saying that if she were extradited, she would be tried for crimes against humanity.

On Tuesday, Justice Michael Lee rejected the defense’s argument. He emphasized that their claim that the offenses had been mischaracterized was “misconceived.”

“The materials do not suggest the offense for which extradition is sought is anything other than the offenses identified throughout the request … namely aggravated kidnapping,” Lee told the federal court in Sydney.

The judge further determined, “The applicant has failed to demonstrate that the minister’s decision was affected by jurisdictional error," contradicting Rivas’ contention.

Although the dictator’s regime ended in 1990, Rivas reportedly emigrated to Australia in 1978. She began working there as a nanny and a cleaner. However, in 2019, she was arrested by New South Wales Police following a request from the Chilean government.

Families of the victims were present in the courtroom during her two-day hearing. However, they were not there when the judge handed down his decision. The ambassador and the consul general of Chile attended court that day.

When Pinochet’s regime began in 1973, tens of thousands of Chileans fled to Australia. During the dictatorship, thousands of people were affected.

An attorney representing the families, whose members were tortured and disappeared, said that more than 1,100 people have still not been found.

Adriana Navarro said outside court, “We have a very good idea of what happened to them and we think Ms. Rivas may do too.”