Chile Officers To Go To Prison For ‘76 Murder

The Supreme Court upheld the prison sentences of two top military officers Tuesday for ordering the 1976 assassination of Orlando Letelier, a prominent Chilean Socialist who was killed by a car bomb in Washington, D.C.

Retired army Gen. Manuel Contreras, chief of the ruthless secret police agency that persecuted opponents of Chile’s military regime in the mid-1970s, received a seven-year sentence.

The court upheld a six-year term for Brig. Pedro Espinoza, who was Contreras’ chief of operations and still is on active duty in the army.

The long-awaited sentences are the most significant action taken against officials responsible for thousands of human rights crimes under the 16 1/2-year military regime that ended in 1990.

Although no one here expected a coup, there were signs of unrest in the army, which is said to fear more sentences against officers.

President Eduardo Frei, in a nationally broadcast message Tuesday night, said the verdict “cannot and must not” be used to judge the armed forces. “I am confident that maturity and serenity will prevail,” Frei said.