Justice closer as 3-decade ‘pact of silence’ broken over Chilean activists burned alive

Seven former Chilean military members were arrested for setting two activists at an anti-Pinochet protest in 1986 on fire. One of the activists, 19-year-old Rodrigo Rojas later died from his burns while 19-year-old Carmen Gloria Quintana was left disfigured and spent years in rehabilitation. At the time, the military denied involvement, with former Chilean leader General Pinochet going further to suggest the activists set themselves on fire.

The case was reopened in 2013, and a former soldier broke a nearly three-decade-long “pact of silence” last year by testifying in the case. Soon after the arrest warrants were issued, Chilean users took to Twitter using #CasoQuemados (Case of Those Burned) to discuss the significance of the news.