El Ciudadano
Original article: “Venganza y revancha de la extrema derecha”: familia de Mauricio Hernández apunta a Kast por traslado al penal de alta seguridad
The family of Mauricio Hernández Norambuena condemned the transfer of the former member of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) from Rancagua prison to a high-security facility in Santiago and directly criticized the government of José Antonio Kast.
«The motive for this transfer is political, representing a vendetta and backlash from the extreme right against Mauricio,» they stated in a public declaration.
The operation, carried out on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, around noon, involved moving the individual known as «Comandante Ramiro» from the Rancagua Penitentiary Complex to the Special High-Security Penitentiary Facility (REPAS), located in the capital, without any technical justifications or prior notice, according to the statement.
Additionally, the family reported that «despite being on the brink of winter, he was not allowed to bring extra belongings and clothing, nor even his medications, completing the transfer in what he was wearing.»
They argued that transferring him to the high-security section of the penitentiary «represents a tightening and a regression in his prison conditions, subjecting him, without justification and ignoring his senior status and health issues, to an exceptional and punitive special regime.»
«All movements within the facility are shackled, even during consultations with lawyers. He is searched daily. There is no medical care. Only one social visit per week is allowed. There are no conjugal visits. He has not been permitted to continue his psychological treatments and neural therapy. His health items are not authorized. There are no sports, labor, or cultural activities,» they indicated.
According to the statement, in 2025 the prison service attempted to transfer Hernández Norambuena to REPAS, but human rights organizations issued reports against this transfer «since he has not committed infractions nor does he fit the profile intended for this prison.»
Given this context, the family reaffirmed that the measure is politically motivated, recalling that «the President Kast made it clear publicly a few days ago: it is he, directly, who has decided on the transfers of prisoners,» they accused.
Consequently, they held President Kast and Public Security Minister Martín Arrau responsible for the health and safety of their brother.
The transfer occurred in a politically sensitive context, following Kast’s admission that he ordered the removal of three common prisoners from the Til Til Penitentiary—formerly the Punta Peuco prison—to other prisons across the country, undermining the official narrative of a “technical decision” made by the prison service based on voluntary requests from inmates.
In an interview with Meganoticias, the far-right president was asked whether the prison would cease to be a common jail, as designated by the previous administration of former President Gabriel Boric, and he affirmed: “Every prison will fulfill the function for which it was created.«
This insinuated that he would seek to ensure that the prison houses exclusively those convicted of crimes against humanity during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, which for decades has been criticized for providing exceptional conditions and preferential treatment for inmates.
Meanwhile, Hernández Norambuena, 68, was sent to a module currently housing members of the Tren de Aragua and other high-risk profiles. The family emphasized this contradiction, stating that «it is absurd that, while human rights violators are being allowed to return to a tailored penitentiary, filled with privileges, Mauricio is subjected to the worst possible conditions.«
Defense Claims Arbitrary Decision Due to Political Motivation and Files Amparo Action
In light of this situation, the defense of the former militant filed an amparo action to reverse the transfer, deeming it illegal, arbitrary, and lacking technical justifications. The lawyers argue that Hernández maintained exemplary conduct in Rancagua, participated in sports and cultural activities, and received specialized medical and psychological care.
The action emphasizes that the new conditions equate to a highly restricted isolative regime, comparable to the Italian «41 bis» that Kast has promised to implement in Chile, despite potential violations of international treaties. Moreover, they indicate that REPAS replicates features of the prison regimes that led to a condemnation from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights against Brazil in 2025.
The legal request seeks to annul the transfer and to mandate that Mauricio Hernández Norambuena be returned to the Rancagua Penitentiary Complex.
La entrada «Extremist Rightwing Revenge»: Mauricio Hernández’s Family Blames Kast for Security Prison Transfer se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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