Sexy Blindfold, from a torture site to an unprecedented place of memory that unites past and future

The “Venda Sexy”, one of the main centres of political repression and sexual torture during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), is reinventing itself half a century later as a unique dynamic site of memory, inviting us to reopen the struggles of the past to link them with the present.

“It was a sinister house and we want to turn it into a bright place where we can meet,” Alejandra Holzapfel, president of the Association for Memory and Human Rights at 3037 Iran Street, told EFE about the innovative aspect of this memorial site, a space that goes beyond the simple visibility of a bitter memory to work as a service to education in matters of human rights and individual freedoms.

Holzapfel was kidnapped by the secret services (DINA) when she was studying at the University of Chile, falling into the hands of Carabineros Major Ingrid Olderöck, of the Women’s Intelligence Brigade (BIF), who sexually tortured the student with her dog “Volodia.”

“Going through this house put an end to my future, to everything I had planned, because today I cannot be near an animal. It is hard, because my grandchildren want animals and I have no explanation to give,” she confesses.

Holzapfel, however, is proud of her change of direction to work in the field of human rights as a cultural manager: “It hurt me a lot, but today I can tell what happened in this house. I can have the strength and energy to do it.”

The most macabre repression

The ‘Venda Sexy’, also known as ‘Discoteque’ or ‘Cuartel Tacora’, became the main place of torture for the DINA after closing the mass detention centers, operating between August and December 1974, with sporadic use until 1977.

Used in the kidnappings of university students from the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), militants of the Socialist Party and the Communist Party, different DINA groups were established in the house, such as the “Purén”, led by Raúl Iturriaga Neumann, convicted of countless crimes against humanity.

Kidnapped and subjected to enforced disappearance, the numerous young people arrived blindfolded at the home, where they endured fierce interrogations that included electric shocks and systematic rapes to dehumanize them.

An altar in honour of Chilean detainees who disappeared inside ‘La Venda Sexy’, in Santiago (Chile). La Venda Sexy, one of the main centres of political repression and sexual torture during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1989), is reinventing itself half a century later as a unique dynamic site of memory, which invites us to reopen the struggles of the past to link them with the present. EFE/ Elvis González

“The neighbouring houses were too close for them not to hear our screams. They played loud music, but the fear that was exerted on the whole population did not allow them to say that something strange was happening. And they knew that something strange was happening,” says Holzapfel from the second-floor window.

Sergio Mario Edrulfo (18 years old), Félix Santiago De la Jara (24 years old) or Eugenia del Carmen Martínez (25 years old), are three of the 27 detainees who disappeared after passing through the house. Another 6 kidnappings with forced disappearance are under investigation.

The Rettig Report, which revealed the violations committed by the dictatorship, already warned that with the constant leasing of Venda Sexy, key information was lost.

“The problem was that it became the private property of many people. And many years have been lost,” reflects physicist and torture survivor Boris Chornik, who believes that memory is a weapon that can prevent the same mistakes from being repeated in the future.

Survivors of torture during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, Elías Padilla (l) and Boris Chornik, in an interview with EFE during a tour of the “La Venda Sexy” (Sexy Bandage), in Santiago (Chile). “La Venda Sexy”, one of the main centers of political repression and sexual torture during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1989), is reinventing itself half a century later as a unique dynamic site of memory, which invites us to reopen the struggles of the past to link them with the present. EFE/ Elvis González

Fighting denialism

It was not until June 3 that the State completed the expropriation of ‘Venda Sexy’, a milestone that, according to the head of the Iran 3037 Investigative Commission and DINA victim, Elías Padilla, will help heal those affected.

“There are still many people who think that what happened in Chile was a legend, that it was not so serious, that it cannot happen again. Far-right and neo-fascist sectors continue to praise the military dictatorship without any impunity. As long as there is no truth, justice, reparation, and a fight against impunity and denialism, it is difficult for there to be reconciliation,” Padilla stresses.

For this reason, Iran 3037 will soon reopen to the public with a more interactive experience, which unlike other static sites will allow people to get involved in history and memory.

“It includes non-invasive technology, such as ground-penetrating radar and 3D scanning, to create a virtual tour of the house that will be accessible on our website and will become a fundamental educational resource for human rights education,” said coordinator Montserrat Figuerola.

“By bringing in more generations, even adults who don’t want to talk about it, we’ve seen people lose their fear of sharing their truths,” she concluded.