Chile 's navy has publicly admitted for the first time that political prisoners were tortured aboard the training ship Esmeralda, which became a notorious symbol of the 1973-1990 military dictatorship when human rights protesters targeted it in ports around the world.
Admiral Miguel Angel Vergara, commander in chief of the navy, today apologised for the torture on the Esmeralda, two days after the government published a report documenting state responsibility for torture during the military regime.
"We are profoundly sorry and we are open to holding, at some time, an act of apology that could in
Admiral Miguel Angel Vergara, commander in chief of the Chilean navy
somewhat remove the stigma from this boat, which has served this country so well," Vergara said on television.
The navy statement is part of a shift in attitude by the Chilean military as it tries to shake off its legacy of rights abuses. The army this month made an even stronger statement by accepting institutional responsibility for abuses.
The Esmeralda is a white, four masted sailing vessel used as a torture center during the first year of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. For decades it has taken Chilean naval officials to ports around the globe in yearly courses.
The boat has had to suspend visits to some European ports in recent years to avoid being the target of protests, but navy officials always denied there had been any torture on board.
More than 3,000 people died or disappeared during political violence during the 17-year Pinochet rule.
Those deaths and disappearances have been well documented by the center-left government that has ruled Chile since 1990, and dozens of members of the military have been convicted of rights crimes. But the government only this year completed a thorough study of torture.
On Sunday, President Ricardo Lagos released a report from a commission that interviewed 35,000 people and concluded that 28,000 men, women and children were tortured as part of state policy to wipe out opposition during the dictatorship.