In the future, a German-Chilean commission will help to come to terms with the crimes committed in Colonia Dignidad in Chile. Representatives of both countries have now signed an agreement to this effect.
The signatories are the Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Federal Foreign Office, Dieter Lamle, and the Ambassador of Chile in Berlin, Patricio Pradel. According to a statement from the Foreign Office on Thursday, the commission is scheduled to begin its work this year.
The history of "Colonia Dignidad" is one of the darkest chapters in German-Chilean relations. At times, up to 350 people, some of whom came from Germany, are said to have lived on the approximately 300 square kilometer site.
The founder of Colonia Dignidad was Bonn native Paul Schafer (1921-2010), who escaped an arrest warrant for sexual abuse of minors in Germany by fleeing to Chile in 1961. At the site, some 350 kilometers south of the capital Santiago, the lay preacher, who comes from a free-church background, promised his followers an "Original Christian life in the Promised Land".
Dictatorship and isolation
In fact, Schafer ran a dictatorial regime and isolated the sect members from the outside world. Crimes included deprivation of liberty, forced labor and slavery, child abuse, assault, torture and administration of psychotropic drugs without medical indication. During the Chilean military dictatorship from 1973 to 1990, hundreds of Chilean opponents of the regime were tortured and dozens murdered by the Chilean secret service in Colonia Dignidad.
According to the German Foreign Office, the establishment of the commission stems from talks between the regional representative and the Chilean side that have been held since mid-2016. It said the commission's work should help achieve goals "that are also mentioned in the Bundestag's motion for a resolution.".
Help concept for victims
The cross-party motion, passed shortly before the summer break, calls on the federal government, among other things, to present a concept for assistance to victims by the summer of next year and to press ahead with the establishment of a memorial on the site of the "Colonia Dignidad".
Today, about 100 people, including both victims and perpetrators, still live on the grounds of Colonia Dignidad, now called Villa Baviera, and are trying to use the site through agriculture, forestry, and restaurant and hotel operations. An appropriate and dignified remembrance of the victims and the human rights violations committed in Colonia Dignidad has not yet taken place, the motion states.