Chile Decree Lifts Citizenship of Ex-Ambassador Letelier

Chile Decree Lifts Citizenship of Ex-Ambassador Letelier
Lewis H. Diuguid
The Washington Post, 16 September 1976

The Chilean military government has decreed that former Defense Minister Orlando Letelier, now exiled in Washington, is no longer of Chilean nationality. The decree signed by President Augusto Pinochet declared that Letelier's citizenship was cancelled 'for interfering with normal financial support to Chile'. Letelier, who was ambassador to the United States for former President Salvador Allende, is now director of the Transnational Institute, an affiliate of the Institute for Policy Studies here. His institute also operates in the Netherlands, where the government recently refused to underwrite a $63 million Dutch mining investment planned for Chile. The deal fell through. Letelier said he opposed the investment but doubted that was a factor in the Dutch decision. 'I was born a Chilean, I am a Chilean and I will die a Chilean,' said Letelier, who was jailed for a year without charge before being allowed to go into exile in 1974. This is the second known case of the Chilean junta carrying through its frequent threats to cancel exiles' citizenship. In doing so, it appears to violate not only Chile's constitution but also the human rights charters of the United Nations and the Organization of American States. Chile is a signer of both.

Copyright 1976 The Washington Post