Victor Jara was a communist. He was a singer of social songs. He sang songs of love and peace as well as Left-wing songs of struggle and social justice. Victor believed in fairness and human rights.
He supported Salvador Allende who was a communist politician elected by the people of Chile. Phil Ochs met Victor, befriended him and sang with him in support of a miners’ strike.
The USA, as part of its campaign against communism, sought to destabilise Chile under Allende. The CIA used a lot of underhand tactics. It culminated in the support of the fascist military overthrow of the Allende government in a sponsored coup. On September 11th 1973 Allende was murdered and his government overthrown. General Pinochet took over and proceeded to deal with the Allende supporters.
Thousands were rounded up and taken into the football stadium where they were systematically tortured and killed.
Victor Jara taught at the university. He was rounded up along with students and other teachers. When they identified who he was he was singled out for special treatment. He was gruesomely tortured and killed.
The rumour was that he was instructed to play and sing for the prisoners in the stadium. They then either chopped his hands off with and axe or crushed his hands and told him to sing. He stood and sang. They ripped out his tongue and teeth and he still tried to make a noise.
He was finally killed when a soldier played Russian roulette with him. He loaded one bullet into the chamber, spun it, held it against Victor’s head and pulled the trigger. He did this a number of times until it fired.
Pinochet was supported by the Likes of Thatcher and the USA for forty years.
Over a thousand people were ‘disappeared’ under Pinochet. The hunt for their remains continues to this day. Victor Jara, a teacher and singer, was just one of many but he came to symbolise the terrible travesty and viciousness of the Pinochet regime.