Curtains for cadres as Chile closes luxury jail of Pinochet’s henchmen

Chile’s president announced on Thursday that he will close a luxury prison for dictatorship-era military officials convicted of crimes against humanity, taking away their tennis courts, barbecues and a pool.

The Cordillera prison, located on an army base, offers the officers jailed for killings, torture and other abuses during General Augusto Pinochet’s 1973-90 dictatorship far better conditions than Chile’s normal penitentiaries. The inmates live in small cabins with private bathrooms, have hot showers and get lots of natural light.

President Sebastian Pinera said his government decided to close Cordillera taking into account “equality before law” as well as the security of the prison’s 10 inmates, who will now serve time at Punta Peuco, another special jail for human rights offenders.

The decision came after Manuel Contreras, the former chief of Pinochet’s secret service gave an interview inside Cordillera ahead of the 40th anniversary of the military coup.

Contreras, who is serving combined sentences of more than 100 years for kidnappings and murders, mocked prison guards, saying they were only there “to hold his cane,” and he claimed that all of the thousands of disappeared during the dictatorship were armed leftists killed in gunfights.

Cordillera was built in 2004 during the presidency of Ricardo Lagos to avoid overcrowding at Punta Peuco.

Former President Michelle Bachelet, who was held and tortured during the dictatorship, praised the decision to close Cordillera.