Villa Grimaldi | |
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Prison camp used during the military dictatorship of Chile | |
![]() Old gate entrance to Villa Grimaldi | |
Coordinates | 33°27′49.5″S 70°32′33.5″W / 33.463750°S 70.542639°W |
Known for | Internment of Pinochet's dissidents during his military dictatorship |
Location | Santiago |
Operated by | DINA (when the estate acted as a prison) |
First built | 19th century |
Operational | 1973-1978 |
Inmates | Pinochet's dissidents |
Number of inmates | 4500 people |
Killed | at least 226 people |
Notable inmates | Michelle Bachelet Sheila Cassidy |
Website | http://villagrimaldi.cl/ |
Villa Grimaldi is considered the most important of DINA's (Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional, the Chilean secret police during the Pinochet regime) many complexes that were used for the interrogation and torture of political prisoners during the governance of Augusto Pinochet.[1] It is located at Avenida José Arrieta 8200 (now 8401) in Peñalolén, on the outskirts of Santiago, and was in operation from mid-1974 to mid-1978. About 4,500 detainees were brought to Villa Grimaldi during this time, at least 240 of whom "disappeared" or were killed by DINA. It was also the location of the headquarters of the Metropolitan Intelligence Brigade (BIM).[2] The head of Villa Grimaldi during the Pinochet dictatorship, Marcelo Moren Brito, was later convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to more than 300 years in prison.[3][4]