On September 24th, 2012, comrade Carla Verdugo was transferred from the high-security special section of the Women’s Penitentiary Centre (CPF) to San Miguel prison.
Carla is in custody, accused of transporting an explosive device with Ivan Silva (abducted in Santiago One prison). Both were arrested in the early hours of April 16th, 2012, after a police patrol. They are accused of carrying explosives and charged with ‘foiled terrorist attack’ under the terrorism act.
The motivation of the Chilean gendarmerie (prison administration) seems to be a rearrangement of women prisoners, aiming at leaving the indictees that await trial in San Miguel prison and the convicts in the CPF. We do not know yet Carla’s health condition and morale, or her current prison status and particular situation; we hope to have updates soon (any confirmed information in Spanish can be sent to publicacionrefractario[at]gmail.com).
We remind that San Miguel prison has primarily been a place of abduction used for men, but after the fire and extermination of 81 prisoners by the gendarmerie force on December 8th, 2010, it was decided to ‘reuse’ the same 5th tower building to suit as a female prison.
We also remind that in the early 90s the prison staff had decided to adapt a mixed form in San Miguel prison, in order to confine and segregate women comrades who pertained to different politico-military groups.
Solidarity with comrade Carla Verdugo!
The day of the comrade’s prison transfer, supporters decided to make a mural solidarity action on the CPF prison walls, in the context of the days of mobilization and international solidarity with imprisoned and prosecuted comrades across the world —see here.