More than a mere serialized narrative, the season finale of a long-running series hinges on the slow unveiling of its secrets. An international panel of experts assigned to determine the causes of Pablo Neruda’s death sent its findings to Judge Paola Plaza. Yet the report, received by Gloria Ramírez, the coordinator of the panel, was not disclosed as anticipated. In Chile, the family’s perspective carried weight, and its content provided reassurance to the author. The full text, including appendices, bibliographies, and supporting documents, would only enter the public record on March 7.
Neruda’s nephew, Rodolfo Reyes, reiterated that forensic medicine and DNA specialists who had access to documents as complainants in the case had reached conclusions aligned with the family’s position. “We now know that clostridium botulinum was not present in Neruda’s remains. What does this mean? It points toward assassination, possibly involving state actors.” Reyes expressed cautious optimism that the truth, delayed for decades, would emerge this Wednesday. “We are both pleased and saddened,” he said, “because now we know they killed him. The case should have been resolved earlier, but this is the truth that the investigation reveals: Neruda was murdered.”
Judge Plaza explained the reasons for the tension. “A court decision cannot be based solely on a single piece of evidence. The report is now entering a working phase and undergoing review.” The judge assured that although the parties had access to a summary, the final decision would remain independent. The court emphasized the need to respect impartiality.
Paola Plaza, a judge in the Santiago Court of Appeal, received the expert report on the circumstances surrounding Pablo Neruda’s death. #neruda
Correspondent Cristian Garcia captured the moment: a photo of the briefing posted by Citizen on social media. @CristianGarciaC
– Citizen
The twist of history
The poet’s name carried enormous weight in Chile, especially during a turbulent era that included the September 11, 1973 coup. Neruda, a renowned intellectual closely linked to the Communist Party and a friend of Salvador Allende, died twelve days after the military seized power at the Santa María Clinic in Santiago, just hours before he planned to depart for exile in Mexico.
From that moment, the dictatorship described Neruda’s death as the result of advanced prostate cancer. Doubts resurfaced in 2011 after the testimony of Manuel Araya, a driver and close associate of Neruda, who claimed an intelligence agent from Augusto Pinochet’s regime disguised as a doctor injected Neruda. Araya recalled Neruda calling his wife Matilde Urrutia from Isla Negra, asking her to return immediately as an injection burned inside him. Six years later, experts identified clostridium botulinum in Neruda’s tooth, linking the case to a previous assessment.
The poet’s nephew sounded as though narrating a plot twist intended for television, insisting that a fatal injection came from third parties. “The deadly substance found in Neruda’s body raises questions about who acted and why. This will be resolved in time,” he said.
Known applications
At this stage, the only certainty for Chileans is the country’s own historical memory. The Pinochet era reportedly used poisoning as a method to silence dissent. Documented incidents include the use of toxic agents in operations against political opponents, and the involvement of intelligence figures in such schemes. The broader context of state-sponsored violence casts a long shadow over the Neruda case, with investigations pointing to a pattern of covert actions intended to suppress opposition and shape national history.
Key figures in the intelligence apparatus, including the founder of the agency, have been subjects of controversy. A figure linked to these operations was killed in Uruguay in 1991, and there were discussions about plans to poison critical targets amid heightened tensions in the region. The death of a former president who opposed the regime also drew scrutiny, though judicial processes have varied in their conclusions over the years. The evolving legal narrative continues to provoke debate about accountability and justice in Chile’s modern history, illustrating how a single life can become a focal point for a nation’s collective memory and ongoing investigations.