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Bienvenida a los prisioneros / Welcoming the Prisoners (Photo: Martin Melaugh)

‘Liberation’ is how an anonymous arpillerista describes her scene of prisoners flooding out from prison high prison walls to tearfully reunite with families and loved ones. Charged with emotion, the tone is celebratory as lovers embrace, and small children are scooped into their newly freed parents arms.

This work may be in response to the 300 political prisoners released in November 1976, speculated to be an attempt by the Pinochet government to improve its public image under pressure from the international community (CIA, 17 Nov 1976, Staff notes). While it was declared that all detention camps had been cleared and that only one political prisoner remained under hold without trial, many prisoners were still held unofficially and incommunicado in covert torture and detention centres.

The regime had faced heavy criticism as more reports exposed a blatant disregard for human rights through abuses such as detention, torture, execution and disappearance of political prisoners without trial. We are reminded of this inhumane treatment of detainees by the blue colouring of several prisoners faces, and the onlooking uniformed guards who hold open the gates, who remain ready to shut them again at any time.

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