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Original article: Muere Alfonso Podlech Michaud, ex fiscal militar de la dictadura: sumaba más de 100 años de condena por crímenes de lesa humanidad

Óscar Alfonso Podlech Michaud, the Former Military Prosecutor of the Pinochet Regime, Passes Away

On Friday, May 15, Óscar Alfonso Podlech Michaud, the former military prosecutor during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, passed away at the age of 90 while serving his sentences for crimes against humanity.

His defense attorney, Maximiliano Murath, confirmed the death which occurred in the Intensive Treatment Unit (UTI) of Clínica Dávila in Recoleta. According to Murath’s statement to Radio Biobío, Podlech was in a terminal condition with a “complex health situation”: “He was gravely ill […] hospitalized in the UTI due to pneumonia and a urinary tract infection,” in addition to suffering from Parkinson’s disease, coronary issues, and the aftermath of a stroke, rendering his health very fragile and precarious.

Podlech was convicted of crimes against humanity, severe offenses against civilians that are subject to no statute of limitations. In November 2024, the Appeals Court of Temuco upheld a 15-year prison sentence for unlawful detention and kidnapping causing serious harm to eight individuals, whose bodies were disposed of in the Allipén River in 1973. According to the ruling cited by the radio, a witness implicated in the case stated: “The chief responsible for all this and who decided the fate of the detainees was lawyer Alfonso Podlech.” Previously, in October 2024, the Supreme Court confirmed another sentence of 15 years and one day for qualified homicides.

According to reports, his defense tried to secure his transfer to house arrest, but “Minister Paola Plaza initially rejected the request for house arrest, a decision later upheld by the Fourth Chamber of the Appeals Court of Santiago,” ADN Radio reported. Attorney Murath also noted that Minister Jaime Balmaceda confirmed the rejection in the Appeals Court.

Podlech faced cumulative sentences exceeding 100 years for his role in human rights violations. In 2008, he was arrested at Barajas Airport in Madrid and extradited to Italy for the disappearance of Italian-Chilean citizen Omar Venturelli, during which he spent 970 days under indictment.

“As his defense, we deeply regret the passing of Mr. Óscar Podlech Michaud,” Murath declared. The former military prosecutor died without the humanitarian pardon having been resolved, informed Radio Biobío.

La entrada Óscar Alfonso Podlech Michaud, Notorious Military Prosecutor of the Pinochet Regime, Dies at 90 While Serving Sentences for Human Rights Violations se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.