The court prioritized security over family roots
When security outweighs family ties, the debate is served. The leader of the Arauco Malleco Coordinator (CAM), Héctor Llaitul, must continue serving his sentence in the Bío-Bío Penitentiary Center, in Concepción, after the Court of Guarantee of Concepción rejected his request to be transferred to the Temuco prison. The defense alleged reasons of family roots, mentioning that his partner lives in Chol-Chol and his mother in Osorno, but the court was not convinced.
The supervisory judgne Marcelo Bustos was in charge of the hearing and explained that the security criterion prevails, so Héctor Llaitul will continue to be held in the Bío-Bío Penitentiary Center.
A sentence of 23 years for crimes associated with rural violence and the State Security Law is not minor. In this context, the Gendarmerie lawyer was categorical: “The risk of escape and the dangerousness of Llaitul require a prison environment with extraordinary control measures” and stressed that the Temuco prison does not have the necessary conditions to keep an inmate considered highly dangerous like Llaitul.
According to reports, the jurist asked the court to declare itself incompetent, a request to which Judge Bustos did not agree.
The judicial response was as clear as it was perverse: institutional stability weighs more than affective connections.
As on a chessboard where each piece must occupy the place that minimizes risk, Llaitul will continue to be secluded far from his loved ones, but in an enclosure where the State feels safer.
5 most important facts:
- Héctor Llaitul is serving a 23-year sentence for rural violence and crimes against state security.
- His defense requested the transfer to Temuco for reasons of family roots.
- The Gendarmerie objected, alleging the inmate’s high danger and lack of conditions in Temuco.
- Judge Marcelo Bustos rejected the request, prioritizing security criteria.
- Llaitul will continue in the Bío-Bío prison, where he is already serving his sentence.
Resumen Latinoamericano, April 24, 2025