§ Mr. BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Chilean Government concerning information relating to the arrest and imprisonment in 1974 of William Beausire; and what future action he proposes to take to secure the release of such information.
§ Mr. Garel-JonesWe made repeated representations to the Chilean authorities about Mr. Beausire's disappearance until 1990. In March 1991, the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation appointed by President Aylwin's democratically elected Government concluded that Mr. Beausire was arrested in Buenos Aires on 2 November 1974 and handed over to the then Chilean intelligence organisation, DINA, in whose custody he was held until his disappearance in June 1975.
The view of the Chilean authorities is that any further evidence concerning human rights abuses committed in the past should be taken up through legal channels. Our embassy in Santiago is ready to assist in any way possible, should a member of the Beausire family wish to pursue the case further.