Chile arrests ex-military fugitive for murder of Víctor Jara during Pinochet dictatorship By Luís Henrique Costa
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Chilean police captured Nelson Haase, a former soldier who was on the run and had been convicted of the kidnapping and death of singer and composer Víctor Jara, a crime that occurred more than 50 years ago, during the military dictatorship in Chile. The arrest of the accused, which took place on July 26, 2026, was confirmed by the Judiciary.
Known for compositions such as “El derecho de vivir en Paz”, Víctor Jara represents an icon of New Chilean Song, an artistic and social movement that gained strength in the 1960s. The artist was brutally tortured and killed with 44 shots on September 16, 1973, just five days after Augusto Pinochet’s coup d’état that overthrew President Salvador Allende. At the time, Jara was 40 years old.
The judicial investigation detailed that “he was subjected to physical torture, the most severe blows being those he received on the face and hands”, revealing the cruelty of the crime.
On August 28, 2023, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the military coup and Jara’s death, seven retired soldiers received sentences of between eight and 25 years for their involvement in the case. Nelson Haase, then 80 years old, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, but escaped before being arrested, becoming the only one of those sentenced to remain on the run.
The Judiciary declared that “an order was ordered to confine reserve soldier Nelson Haase Mazzei to prison”, confirming the validity of the sentence and the need for his detention.
As reported by the local press, the ex-soldier was located in the Los Lagos region, around 950 kilometers south of Santiago. He wasn’t the only one trying to avoid prison after sentencing. General Hernán Chacón, 85 years old, committed suicide when the police arrived at his home to arrest him and take him to serve his sentence.
The death of Víctor Jara is recognized as one of the cruelest acts of the Chilean military dictatorship, which lasted from 1973 to 1990 and resulted in a tragic toll of 3,200 dead and missing. The long period until Haase’s capture highlights the persistence of the search for justice in cases of human rights violations in the country.
