Caravan of Death

   A 1973 military mission that traveled by Puma helicopter to five provincial cities in Chile and executed 75 political prisoners, all without trial. Authorized by General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte and led by General Sergio Arellano Stark, the Caravan of Death began on 4 October in Cauquenes and then flew north to La Serena, Copiapó, Antofagasta, and finally, on 19 October, Calama. At each stop, Arellano Stark would examine the list of political prisoners, either toughening their sentences or singling out prisoners for execution. All 75 victims were believed to have been associated with leftist organizations. Arellano Stark’s mission included Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Arredondo González, Major Pedro Espinoza Bravo, Major Marcelo Moren Brito, and Lieutenant Armando Fernández Larios. A detailed account of the mission can be found in Patricia Verdugo’s book Caso Arellano: Los zarpazos del puma (1989), which was translated in 2001 as Chile, Pinochet, and the Caravan of Death.