El Ciudadano
Original article: Corte de Santiago elevó indemnización por ejecuciones de agricultor y su hijo de 17 años en Cobquecura en 1973
The Santiago Court of Appeals has set the compensation amount at $100,000,000 to be paid by the state for moral damages to a person who, at the age of 6, witnessed the execution of his father and older brother (neither of whom were politically active) by members of the Cobquecura Police Station on September 17, 1973.
In a unanimous ruling (case role 4,218-2025), the Eighth Chamber of the appellate court upheld the contested sentence issued by the 27th Civil Court of Santiago, stating that the compensation amount was increased prudently in proportion to the proven damages and the minority age of the claimant at the time he witnessed the murders of his family members, as noted in the ruling.
«It is established that on September 17, 1973, two police officers from the Cobquecura Station broke into the home of José René Gómez Velásquez, age 42, and shot him dead along with his 17-year-old son, José Domingo Gómez Concha, executing them at point-blank range in front of their family,» the ruling states.
Following the crime, the judicial document adds, «they threatened the partner and mother of the victims, Mrs. Aurora Concha Rivas, with death, forcing her to bury them within two hours and preventing any medical examination of the causes of death; the next day, under the same threats, the family was compelled to leave Cobquecura and move to Quirihue.»
«These events were recognized by the Report of the National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation and were judicially investigated for homicide,» the ruling confirms.
The resolution further adds that «as a consequence of what occurred, the claimant (…) who was 6 years old at the time of the events and lived with his mother, Mrs. Elba Flor Velásquez, who had an emotional relationship with Mr. José René Gómez Velásquez, grew up in poverty and neglect, uprooted from his place of origin, experiencing anger, pain, suffering, and anguish due to an unjust situation that he should not have been forced to endure.»
«Based on these circumstances, the claimant filed a compensation lawsuit against the State of Chile for the damages suffered due to the murder of his father and brother at the hands of state agents, acts classified as crimes against humanity and as serious violations of international human rights norms,» emphasized the court.
In this context, the document concludes, «the illegality, the responsibility of the state, and the circumstance that the reported events would not have occurred if it had not been for the actions of state officials are established, hence confirming the liability of the State of Chile in these events.»
Read the full ruling HERE
Cover Photo: Referential
La entrada Santiago Court Increases Compensation for Execution of Farmer and His 17-Year-Old Son in Cobquecura in 1973 se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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