No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsArts and CultureChile court orders Pablo Neruda's remains returned to his tomb

Chile court orders Pablo Neruda’s remains returned to his tomb

SANTIAGO, Chile – A Chilean court on Wednesday ordered poet Pablo Neruda’s remains be returned to his tomb, three years after they were exhumed to determine whether the Nobel laureate was assassinated.

Neruda died in 1973, just days after General Augusto Pinochet seized power.

Doubts have surrounded the cause of Neruda’s death since his former driver claimed the poet was given a mysterious injection in his chest at the Santiago clinic where he was being treated for prostate cancer.

Neruda, who despite his illness had been planning to leave for Mexico to lead the opposition to Pinochet’s regime, died hours after the injection. He was 69.

Pablo Neruda coffin
AFP/Poder Judicial

The cause of death was given as advanced prostate cancer, but in 2013 officials exhumed his body to determine whether he had been poisoned.

Chile’s forensic medicine service ruled that “no relevant chemical agents” could be linked to his death.

But last May forensic scientists at the University of Murcía in Spain identified a massive Staphylococcus aureus infection in Neruda’s remains, rekindling his family’s suspicions. The Chilean Interior Ministry said the strain of bacteria does not occur naturally and may have been grown in a lab. Further test results are due next month.

With the three-year-old investigation ongoing, Judge Mario Carroza ruled it was time to return Neruda’s remains from the forensic medical service in Santiago to his tomb at his former home in Isla Negra, on the central coast. The remains will be returned on April 26. The judge ordered forensic analysts to keep bone samples on hand for further tests.

Pinochet, who ousted Socialist president Salvador Allende in a coup, installed a brutal regime that killed some 3,200 opponents over 17 years.

Read our 2014 special feature “Pinochet’s arrest remembered”

Trending Now

Costa Rica and U.S. Strengthen Border Scans and Biometric Cooperation

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem met Wednesday with Honduran President Xiomara Castro to discuss security and migration, following her offer in Costa...

Panama Regains Control of Bocas del Toro After Violent Protests

Panama’s government has regained control of Bocas del Toro province after months of violent anti-government protests sparked by pension reforms, officials announced. The unrest,...

Costa Rica Surf Film Festival Honors ‘Pura Vida Bodysurfing’ with Top Audience Award

Pura Vida Bodysurfing is an award-winning short film that strips surfing back to its essence—riding waves without a surfboard. Filmed across Costa Rica’s legendary...

Costa Rica Pushes USA to the Brink but Falls in Penalty Heartbreak

If you just caught the end of the USA vs. Costa Rica Gold Cup quarterfinal, you probably feel like you need another cup of...

Why Costa Rica Feels Like a Safe Haven for This Longtime Expat

If someone asked me to sum up why I live in Costa Rica in 5 words or less, my answer could well be: “It...

Hondurans March to Mark 2009 Coup as Election Battle Heats Up

Thousands of government supporters marched Saturday in the capital of Honduras to commemorate the anniversary of the 2009 coup that ousted then-leftist President Manuel...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica