Claudia López Benaiges

Lopez attended a protest on the night of 11 September 1998 in the barrio of La Pincoya [es], Santiago, marking the 25th anniversary of the coup led by Augusto Pinochet against the Chilean government. The anniversary was marked by nationwide marches across Chile.^[3] She was struck in the chest when Carabineros opened fire on protestors, and was pronounced dead at 00:53 on the morning of 12 September at the La Pincoya SAPU [es]. According to an Amnesty International report, the Carabineros failed to provide any medical assistance, and her body was later picked up firefighters.^[4] 47 year old Cristian Osvaldo Varela Avalos, a local PCC leader, was also killed at the same demonstration, officially due to arterial hypertension, although his widow denied he had suffered from the condition, claiming that the first doctor who treated him stated he had died after inhaling tear gas. Police alleged that Lopez had been shot by demonstrators who had attacked the police station in La Pincoya, and declared that their response had been proportionate.^[1][3] The National Assembly for Human Rights accused the police forces of "brutal repression" against protestors.^[3]

López's death has often been cited as an example of ongoing repression and police brutality in the post-Pinochet era in Chile.^[5] Following her death, she became a martyr figure of the anarchist and student movements in Chile.^[6] In 2018, a communique from the group Cómplices Sediciosos/Fracción por la Venganza claimed responsibility for targeting the 54th Precinct of Huechuraba with explosives as it was the police station responsible for the territory where López had been killed 20 years prior.^[7]

• Rodrigo Cisterna