The Seventh Chamber of the Santiago Court of Appeals has confirmed a 12-year prison sentence for Army Brigadiers Miguel Krassnoff Martchenko and Pedro Espinoza Bravo. The appellate ruling affirms their responsibility as perpetrators in the aggravated kidnapping of Cristian Mallol Comandari and Héctor González Osorio, both members of the MIR Central Committee.
The appellate court upheld the original ruling issued by Judge Paola Plaza in September 2025. The judicial investigation centers on events occurring between December 1974 and September 1975, a period during which the victims were subjected to torture under the command of the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA).
The ruling also included a seven-year sentence for Carabineros Second Sergeant José Aravena Ruiz for his role in the kidnapping of Mallol Comandari. The defendants are currently serving time at the Punta Peuco prison for other crimes against humanity.
The 'Press Conference' Staging
The judicial investigation revealed that the DINA used the detained militants to carry out what was known as 'Operation Press Conference.' On February 20, 1975, agents forced Mallol, González, Humberto Menanteau Aceituno, and José Hernán Carrasco Vásquez to broadcast false information regarding the status of other movement leaders.
During this staged event, the detainees were coerced into presenting a fabricated list of militants who were supposedly dead or in exile, intended to create the illusion that the MIR had been defeated. Krassnoff and Marcelo Morén Brito were among those present during the dictatorship’s propaganda exercise.
Plaintiff attorney Carolina Vega, of the Caucoto Abogados firm, hailed the ruling as a step toward justice after decades of impunity. "After decades of impunity, the conviction against those responsible for these brutal acts of torture has finally been upheld," she stated.
Vega emphasized that the ruling marks a turning point for the victims' families. "The State and the Judiciary have a debt to them that is being paid off little by little. This ruling does not erase their suffering, but it marks a turning point regarding a historical debt," she noted.
The case is part of a broader intelligence scheme, similar to Operation Colombo, which sought to cover up forced disappearances. While Mallol and González managed to survive and leave the country, two other leaders of the group, Menanteau and Carrasco, were murdered in December 1975.
