Original article: Coquimbo: Ministro Sergio Troncoso realizó nuevas diligencias en caso de militantes del MIR muertos tras explosión en su vivienda en 1977
The extraordinary visit by Minister Sergio Troncoso Espinoza, tasked with investigating human rights violations by the La Serena Court of Appeals, revealed new developments today regarding the alleged involvement of state agents in the deaths of a couple and their friend—all members of the MIR—following an explosion in December 1977.
Specifically, the procedures included three exhumations and the collection of biological samples at the Catholic Cemetery of Coquimbo (case number 217-2005). This effort aims to uncover the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Mario Romero and Sonia Valencia, who was pregnant at the time, along with their friend, Germán Cuello—an uncle of current Communist Party deputy Luis Cuello—who was visiting them when the explosion occurred in their home in the San Juan sector of Coquimbo.
Biological samples were also collected from another child of the Romero-Valencia couple, who passed away in 2014, to help confirm the identities of the remains of their parents.
“The circumstances surrounding this explosion are being investigated as a potential severe violation of human rights, possibly involving the security agencies of the time, a situation that has yet to be validated,” Minister Troncoso explained.
The minister reported that the exhumed remains were transported to the Legal Medical Service in La Serena before being sent to Santiago, noting that forensic professionals and members of the Criminalistics Laboratory of the Investigative Police will participate in the analyses.
“We aim to conduct, in conjunction with the medico-legal and anthropological assessments, chemical analyses and microdata tests that may provide additional information regarding the circumstances under which these individuals were buried and, naturally, the situations that surrounded their deaths,” added Minister Troncoso.
Read more about this case:
El Ciudadano
