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The federal civil court jury in Orlando found that Pedro
Pablo Barrientos Nunez was responsible for the torture and
execution of Jara in the days following Pinochet's overthrow of
leftist President Salvador Allende.
"It has been a long journey seeking justice for Victor’s death.
His songs continue to be sung today, and inspire both artists
and those who seek social justice," Jara's 88-year-old widow,
Joan Jara, said in a written statement following the verdict.
"For Victor, art and social justice were one and the same. Today
there is some justice for Victor's death, and for the thousands
of families in Chile who have sought truth," Joan Jara said.
According to Chilean court documents, Victor Jara was shot dead
by soldiers in Chile's Estadio Nacional, which served as a mass
detention and torture center in the early days of the military
government.
Jara inspired such artists as Bruce Springsteen, the Clash and
U2 and his death soon became a potent symbol of the era's
abuses.During Pinochet's rule, which lasted until 1990, an
estimated 3,200 people were killed and 28,000 tortured by the
state.
In 2013, the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA), an
organization dedicated to preventing severe human rights abuses,
filed a civil suit against Barrientos, who now lives in Deltona,
Florida, on behalf of Jara's widow and daughters.
"This is the first trial seeking accountability for the death of
Víctor Jara. The verdict in this case represents another
significant step to understanding what happened at Chile Stadium
in the first days after the 1973 coup," Kathy Roberts, the
center's legal director, said in a written statement.
Attorney Luis Calderon, who represented Barrientos at the trial,
declined to comment on the verdict through a spokeswoman at his
Orlando office.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Mary Milliken)
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