Stolen at birth, an adoptee sues Chile over thousands of similar dictatorship-era crimes

Associated Press

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A Chilean-American raised in the United States has filed a criminal complaint against the state of Chile alleging that it engaged in a systematic plan to steal thousands of babies from perceived enemies of the state in the 1970s and 1980s. The case aims to advance the task of Chilean prosecutors and human rights groups working on accountability for crimes committed under Gen. Augusto Pinochet. The case stands out in denouncing a “systematic situation that spanned decades.” A new judge has assumed control over the judicial investigations into the dictatorship’s child-trafficking operations as the current left-wing government seeks to strengthen Chile’s accountability efforts.