He was born in Pailahueque, Araucanía Region, on 7 November 1928, the son of Blanca Ester Briones Mardones and politician Ernesto Araneda Rocha, who had been a deputy for the Democratic and Liberal parties.[1] He studied in Santiago: primary education at Escuela N°46 República de Colombia and at a school linked to Sagrados Corazones de Alameda, and secondary education at the Liceo Miguel Luis Amunátegui.[1]
He worked as a construction worker and became active in union and political work. In 1950 he joined the Communist Party, directed the newspaper La Voz de la Construcción in 1954, and in 1955 was elected general secretary of the Central Única de Trabajadores de Chile (CUT) in Santiago Province.[2] He also served as general secretary of the National Industrial Construction Federation (FINC) and president of the Enfierradores Union of Santiago.
In 1956 he became a regional director (Biobío and Malleco) of INDAP, and later head of propaganda of the Communist Party.
His first elected position was as regidor of San Miguel (1963–1967), also serving as acting mayor (1968–1970).[1]
In the March 1973 elections he was elected senator for Biobío, Malleco and Cautín. He served in the permanent commissions of Foreign Relations and Labor until the military coup of 11 September 1973, after which Congress was dissolved by decree.[1]
On 28 September 1973 he was detained by the Air Force intelligence and taken to the War Academy, where he was tortured.[3] He was subsequently imprisoned in the National Stadium, the Tacna Artillery Regiment, the Estadio Chile, the Chacabuco concentration camp, and camps in Puchuncaví, Tres Álamos and Ritoque.[1][3]
In August 1975 he went into exile under UNHCR protection, first in Belgium, later in France, Cuba and Costa Rica. He held international positions in the World Federation of Trade Unions, based in Prague (1984–1988). He was stripped of his Chilean nationality by decree in 1977.
He returned to Chile in 1988 during the democratic transition. In the 1989 election he ran unsuccessfully for deputy. He was elected councillor of San Joaquín (1992–1996) and later of Pedro Aguirre Cerda (2004–2008).[2]
He died in Santiago on 12 September 2013 at the age of 84.[4]
