It seeks to recognize the victims of that crime during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990).

The motion was approved in its third session in the Chamber of Deputies by 89 votes for, 28 against, and four abstentions. It will now be sent to the Executive for publication as a law of the Republic.

Sponsored by legislator Lorena Pizarro, of the Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), the initiative provides for the creation of a free public registry of detainees who disappeared during the 17 years of the Pinochet regime.

The registration details the person’s name, nationality, date of birth, age at the time of detention, and the date of arrest, kidnapping, or deprivation of freedom.

Of the 40,000 victims of the dictatorship, the whereabouts of 1,100 people remain unknown. 50.28 percent of them were workers or peasants, and 13.6 percent aged 21 and under.

PCCh parliamentarian Carmen Hertz said this is a fundamental step and responds to the state’s obligations of the reparation, prevention, and non-repetition of the serious human rights violations committed during the dictatorship.

During a September 11 ceremony at La Moneda Palace on the 52nd anniversary of the coup d’etat, President Gabriel Boric stated that the legal status of the absentee makes life easier for their families.

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