“In Chile today there is a wall against a wall which will – unlikely – lead to the recognition of a historical truth.” Speaking is the diplomat Emilio Barbarani. After Pinochet’s coup d’état, he was sent to Santiago, Chile, where together with ambassador Tomaso de Vergottini he headed the diplomatic headquarters. They organized the escape abroad of approximately 750 political refugees, supporters of the Allende government. «I still know many people who live in Chile, they tell me that the social divide has exploded in recent years. Furthermore, the country is exploited to the bone by foreign multinationals, with devastating environmental impacts. The future will not go in the direction many hoped for. Equally strong is the racism towards the ‘original’ peoples.”
Yet the current president Gabriel Boric – leader of the left – has launched a national plan aimed at shedding light on the disappeared. Will he succeed in his aim?
“No. How can he do it? The judiciary will not allow the truth to come out, words are not enough. In such a context, it is difficult to establish how many people have died and the exact number of disappeared. What politicians do well is use propaganda linked to these issues to bring a handful more votes to their mill. But it’s a big bluff. History is always written by those who win”
You lived for more than a year in the Italian embassy in Santiago de Chile together with hundreds of political refugees. She risked her life to save those fleeing from the dictatorship. How did you manage such a complex situation?
«One thing that made me angry but that perhaps helped me was that they thought I was a ‘fascist’, because of my physical appearance. Blond, light eyes, no beard. Even inside the embassy the refugees – communist and socialist activists – were certain that I was right-wing, probably I didn’t even attract their sympathy. I was able to have good communications with the military and the secret services: this helped me save the lives of hundreds of people. During the week I lived inside the embassy and on weekends I saw regularly with representatives of the Pinochet government: a difficult but necessary balance. Detractors considered the Italian embassy “a travel agency” because we helped people escape abroad. For personal safety, I always carried a gun with me. On the nightstand, next to my bed, I had three of them: if someone had entered my room at night, I would certainly have shot them. I was in danger everywhere, both outside the embassy and inside. I trusted few people.”
The right in Chile is still very rooted. Additionally, many Nazis fled to South America after World War II.
“Certainly. Many Nazis fleeing Europe, after the Second World War, arrived in Chile and Argentina. Some created real concentration camps in southern Chile and collaborated with Pinochet’s military. Just think of Colonia Dignidad, where under Pinochet’s dictatorship, crimes and torture took place. Numerous opponents were captured by the Dina (the Chilean secret police) and locked up in the colony.”
What weight does the United States of America have in Chile’s political and economic decisions today?
“Huge. American influence is very strong in South America. Economic interests dominate everything. We live in a historical period in which human rights no longer have any weight or value. It wasn’t as obvious before as it is today. In my book, ‘Who Killed Lumi Videla’, I wanted to demonstrate this: the diplomat’s job is not just parties and champagne, but it truly has meaning and value if you believe in a cause, the most noble of which is saving human lives.”
What do you reproach the Farnesina for in those years? Overall, do you think you could have done more?
«We saved around 750 people, but I have three deaths on my conscience: it’s not easy to live with. These three people had to receive visas to leave the country, I urged the Italian government to speed up the process, but they were too slow. When the visas were ready, it was already too late. The three young people were brutally killed”
Chile is a country exploited for its raw materials, including copper and lithium. Two thirds of Chilean copper revenues go to foreign multinationals.
«Foreign multinationals process copper and have destroyed the environment. We should talk more about it.”
Sebastián Piñera, the former president of Chile, called Pinochet’s coup “not avoidable.” How do you comment on this sentence?
«The truth is that the privileges of many would have ended with the advent of Allende and this was frowned upon, Cuba was now too close. It didn’t go well with the United States of America. To avoid what the Chilean right and above all the United States did not want, there was Pinochet’s coup d’état. However, let me say that deaths should not have a political colour, they should be recognised, all of them, in the same way, in any part of the world. However, unfortunately, this is never the case.”
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