For Chile's Venda Sexy building to be preserved and turned into a memorial museum
The Issue
Preserving the memory of the Pinochet Junta dictatorship's sexual abuse of women political prisoners
Leftist women political prisoners suffered unspeakable sexual abuses at the hands of the capitalist patriarchy of the Pinochet junta dictatorship. This torture center aquired the name "Venda Sexy" or "Sexy blindfold" because of the sexual abuses forced on blindfolded women. These women were detained solely because of their political views. Sexual humiliation was used as a tool of patriarchy to break political women of their will to resist. They were victims of gendered violence. The illegitimate Junta dictatorship, supported by the CIA, overthrew a democratically elected government and unleashed a campaign of sexual terror against activist and political women.
Today's Chilean student activists have repeately campaigned for Venda Sexy to be taken into government possession and made a memorial site. The owners have refused to sell to the Chilean government despite a generous offer. And instead chosen a private seller who offered LESS. This reveals the political implications behind the sale. And the intent to cover up and hide the gross human rights abuses of the location.
The outside world needs to support our sisters in Chile in this fight!
From opendemocracy-
An otherwise unremarkable house on Calle Irán, in south-east Santiago, Chile’s capital, has a sombre history. The two-storey building was used to detain, torture and exterminate political opponents under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990). The widespread use of sexual violence against detainees, blindfolded at all times, prompted its macabre name of Venda Sexy (Sexy Blindfold), allegedly coined by perpetrators.
Women were particularly targeted for sexual abuse, suffering rape, forced pregnancies, abortions and rape. A German Shepherd dog called Volodia was trained to rape inmates. Female and male prisoners were also subjected to beatings, hangings, electric shocks, Russian roulette, asphyxia and deprivation of sleep, among other torture methods. Prisoners called the secret detention centre La Discothèque due to Pinochet’s agents blasting loud music at all times.
According to the association of survivors, at least 85 political prisoners were held here between 1974 and 1977. More than a quarter of them (23) were killed and made disappear. They were among the 41,470 victims of political detention, torture, forced disappearance and extra-judicial execution perpetrated by Pinochet’s regime across 1,168 detention centres — crimes that in many cases, as Amnesty International notes, are still waiting for truth, justice and reparation to be served.
Following decades of campaigning by survivors, in 2016 the State granted the property Historical Monument status
Venda Sexy has been in private hands since the end of the Pinochet era. Following decades of campaigning by survivors, in 2016 the State granted the property Historical Monument status. But the murky sale in April of the property by its owner to an estate agent has angered survivors and activists hoping that Venda Sexy might finally be turned into a memorial centre open to the public.
Moreover, there are fears that the former detention centre will be demolished, erasing not only an important site of memory but also a key to understanding the origins of the ongoing gendered violence carried out by the State against political opponents in present-day Chile.
Memory for sale
Businessman José Saravia bought Venda Sexy in 2005 and lived there with his family until recently. In 2016, the State offered Saravia the valuation price of 356,000,000 Chilean pesos (US$495,765), but he demanded 486,000,000 Chilean pesos (US$676,803) and refused to negotiate a lower price. However, in April this year, Saravia, who owns the company Aluminios Centauro Limitada, sold the house to real estate firm Sociedad de Inversiones Arriagui Limitada for just 211,000,000 Chilean pesos (US$293,838).
Image of victims of Venda Sexy torture house. Daniela Fernández Romero, All Rights Reserved.
This deal happened despite Chilean law giving the State priority in acquiring privately owned Historical Monuments if they come up for sale. Responding to a Freedom of Information request filed by survivors, the National Monuments Council said it was not informed of the sale and that it is currently liaising with two ministries to find a solution. It is unclear why Saravia decided to sell the house for less than half the money he previously asked of the State, or why a real estate firm would buy a property whose bloodstained history is so notorious.
Since the news of the sale became public in August, activists have organised various protests outside Venda Sexy, with placards reading La memoria no se vende (Memory is not for sale). Survivors believe that those selling and buying Venda Sexy are seeking to prevent it from becoming a public site of memory. Many fear the property will be demolished, as with other notorious centres for political detention and torture of the dictatorship, such as Villa Grimaldi and José Domingo Cañas 1367.
Petition Closed
The Issue
Preserving the memory of the Pinochet Junta dictatorship's sexual abuse of women political prisoners
Leftist women political prisoners suffered unspeakable sexual abuses at the hands of the capitalist patriarchy of the Pinochet junta dictatorship. This torture center aquired the name "Venda Sexy" or "Sexy blindfold" because of the sexual abuses forced on blindfolded women. These women were detained solely because of their political views. Sexual humiliation was used as a tool of patriarchy to break political women of their will to resist. They were victims of gendered violence. The illegitimate Junta dictatorship, supported by the CIA, overthrew a democratically elected government and unleashed a campaign of sexual terror against activist and political women.
Today's Chilean student activists have repeately campaigned for Venda Sexy to be taken into government possession and made a memorial site. The owners have refused to sell to the Chilean government despite a generous offer. And instead chosen a private seller who offered LESS. This reveals the political implications behind the sale. And the intent to cover up and hide the gross human rights abuses of the location.
The outside world needs to support our sisters in Chile in this fight!
From opendemocracy-
An otherwise unremarkable house on Calle Irán, in south-east Santiago, Chile’s capital, has a sombre history. The two-storey building was used to detain, torture and exterminate political opponents under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990). The widespread use of sexual violence against detainees, blindfolded at all times, prompted its macabre name of Venda Sexy (Sexy Blindfold), allegedly coined by perpetrators.
Women were particularly targeted for sexual abuse, suffering rape, forced pregnancies, abortions and rape. A German Shepherd dog called Volodia was trained to rape inmates. Female and male prisoners were also subjected to beatings, hangings, electric shocks, Russian roulette, asphyxia and deprivation of sleep, among other torture methods. Prisoners called the secret detention centre La Discothèque due to Pinochet’s agents blasting loud music at all times.
According to the association of survivors, at least 85 political prisoners were held here between 1974 and 1977. More than a quarter of them (23) were killed and made disappear. They were among the 41,470 victims of political detention, torture, forced disappearance and extra-judicial execution perpetrated by Pinochet’s regime across 1,168 detention centres — crimes that in many cases, as Amnesty International notes, are still waiting for truth, justice and reparation to be served.
Following decades of campaigning by survivors, in 2016 the State granted the property Historical Monument status
Venda Sexy has been in private hands since the end of the Pinochet era. Following decades of campaigning by survivors, in 2016 the State granted the property Historical Monument status. But the murky sale in April of the property by its owner to an estate agent has angered survivors and activists hoping that Venda Sexy might finally be turned into a memorial centre open to the public.
Moreover, there are fears that the former detention centre will be demolished, erasing not only an important site of memory but also a key to understanding the origins of the ongoing gendered violence carried out by the State against political opponents in present-day Chile.
Memory for sale
Businessman José Saravia bought Venda Sexy in 2005 and lived there with his family until recently. In 2016, the State offered Saravia the valuation price of 356,000,000 Chilean pesos (US$495,765), but he demanded 486,000,000 Chilean pesos (US$676,803) and refused to negotiate a lower price. However, in April this year, Saravia, who owns the company Aluminios Centauro Limitada, sold the house to real estate firm Sociedad de Inversiones Arriagui Limitada for just 211,000,000 Chilean pesos (US$293,838).
Image of victims of Venda Sexy torture house. Daniela Fernández Romero, All Rights Reserved.
This deal happened despite Chilean law giving the State priority in acquiring privately owned Historical Monuments if they come up for sale. Responding to a Freedom of Information request filed by survivors, the National Monuments Council said it was not informed of the sale and that it is currently liaising with two ministries to find a solution. It is unclear why Saravia decided to sell the house for less than half the money he previously asked of the State, or why a real estate firm would buy a property whose bloodstained history is so notorious.
Since the news of the sale became public in August, activists have organised various protests outside Venda Sexy, with placards reading La memoria no se vende (Memory is not for sale). Survivors believe that those selling and buying Venda Sexy are seeking to prevent it from becoming a public site of memory. Many fear the property will be demolished, as with other notorious centres for political detention and torture of the dictatorship, such as Villa Grimaldi and José Domingo Cañas 1367.
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Petition created on May 31, 2022