Chile: Mauricio Hernández Norambuena Transferred to a Maximum-security Prison
We hereby share an unofficial translation of an article published by Secours Rouge on the 5th of June.
In a statement, the family of Mauricio Hernández Norambuena, a political prisoner of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR) known as “Commander Ramiro,” denounced his transfer on June 3, 2026, from the Rancagua prison complex to the Special High-Security Penitentiary (REPAS) in Santiago. According to his relatives, this decision was made without prior notice or justification and was accompanied by a tightening of his detention conditions. Despite his age and health condition, he is now subject to a particularly restrictive regime, marked notably by daily searches, restricted movement, a lack of adequate medical care, limited visits, and the interruption of certain treatments.
The family asserts that Mauricio Hernández Norambuena does not fit the profile of inmates designated for the REPAS and notes that several organizations had already denounced his particularly harsh detention conditions. Furthermore, his supporters hold President José Antonio Kast and Minister of Public Security Martín Arrau accountable for his physical well-being and health. Finally, they are calling for an intensification of solidarity efforts, following the example of the support expressed by Georges Abdallah from Lebanon, after more than forty years of detention in France.
