Chile Confirms Punta Peuco Sentence Cuts

CHILE · JUSTICE

Chile confirmed it cut the sentences of two Punta Peuco inmates convicted of kidnapping and torture. The justice minister says the law requires it, while critics ask why.

Chile’s Justice Minister Fernando Rabat confirmed on Thursday, 22 October, Punta Peuco sentence reductions for two inmates convicted of kidnapping and torture. He told T13 radio the decrees were signed, answering with the words “It is true.”

Punta Peuco is a prison in Til Til for former military and police convicted of crimes in the military dictatorship. The decision matters to US readers because it tests how far conservative President José Antonio Kast will go on dictatorship era justice.

What Rabat Confirmed on Punta Peuco Sentence Reductions

The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights granted the cuts by two exempt decrees, the outlet Interferencia reported on Thursday. The Clinic and Pauta reported that Rabat confirmed them the same day.

The two inmates are held at the Til Til detention centre, known as Punta Peuco, El Mostrador and BioBioChile reported. One was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and the other of torture.

Rabat said such benefits have been granted for 20 years under governments of different political leanings. “The law establishes it,” he told T13, as The Clinic reported.

He said only the government of former President Gabriel Boric refused all such requests, if memory served. The Supreme Court overturned some refusals in at least four cases, he said, but El Mostrador noted he named no rulings.

The Legal Basis for the Sentence Cuts

The ministry says it must grant a reduction when the legal requirements are met, BioBioChile reported. As its general basis for such reductions it explains Law 19,856, which allows shorter terms for inmates with outstanding conduct.

Such decrees carry the formula “by order of the President”, which does not mean Kast signed each one. A commission reviews education, work and conduct, and Gendarmería, the prison service, prepares the list.

The sources do not say that Law 19,856 or any other ground was used for the two Punta Peuco decrees. BioBioChile noted that the documents it saw do not show how the requirements were checked.

For the 56 child sex crime cases, Rabat cites a 2022 reform and Supreme Court doctrine on earlier crimes. Interferencia noted that this argument does not explain the Til Til decrees on its own.

Reaction to the Punta Peuco Sentence Cuts

Amnesty International Chile said reductions for crimes against humanity would be grave and would breach Chile’s international human rights duties. Its executive director, Rodrigo Bustos, spoke conditionally, saying it would apply if sentences were indeed cut, El Mostrador reported.

The Children’s Ombudsman, led by Anuar Quesille, asked the ministry to explain the 56 reductions for sexual crimes against minors. La Moneda, the presidential palace, called the report on those cases “malicious”, Noticias Los Ríos reported.

Opposition lawmakers are weighing a formal summons of Rabat and an investigative commission, El Mostrador reported. Congress has special sessions planned for Monday, 26 and Tuesday, 27 October, but no party or deputy was named.

Interferencia first revealed 56 cuts for sexual crimes against minors, covered in Chile Cuts Terms of 56 Child Sex Offenders. Of those, 27 were for child sexual abuse and 29 for rape.

The Legal Change the Government Announced

Rabat said the government will back bills barring new benefits for people convicted of sex crimes against minors, The Clinic reported. He named motions by Deputy Ossandón and Senators Squella, Longton, Flores, Bianchi and Araya.

The ministry will also present its own bill, Pauta reported. It would judge eligibility under the law in force when a request is filed.

These changes target sex crimes against minors, and no source says they would reach dictatorship era convicts. A 2022 reform already excludes some child sex offenders, but Rabat says it cannot apply to earlier crimes.

Kast and the Dictatorship Era Prisoners

In July 2025, as a candidate, Kast said he was open to pardoning elderly or impaired Punta Peuco prisoners. In March 2026 he confirmed he would apply pardons; in May he said he had not promised them for everyone.

Interferencia reported these positions and stresses that sentence reductions and pardons are different legal tools. It says the two decrees raise questions about the criteria the ministry applies.

What It Means for US Readers

There is no direct effect on US citizens or on travel to Chile. The story matters for investors and policy watchers who follow the Kast government, which Chile’s own press now questions over justice policy.

Pressure on a minister in an index country draws attention beyond Santiago, and the Power Index row above shows Chile’s current standing. For background see the Chile explained guide, the Chile hub and the explainer Punta Peuco Prison Explained.

What Is Not Known

The names of the two inmates, their original sentences, the amount cut and the decree numbers and dates have not been published. The ministry’s written statement was not found, and the ministry website could not be opened.

It is not known which legal ground the ministry used or how it checked these two cases. El Mostrador and BioBioChile also reported a third decree, for someone not held at Punta Peuco; sources differ on the crime.

Sources differ on who first reported the cases: Interferencia and El Mostrador both published on 22 October. Whether more dictatorship era inmates received cuts is not known.

What Comes Next

Watch the special sessions planned for Monday, 26 and Tuesday, 27 October, and any move to summon Rabat. The government has not said whether it will publish the decrees or review the two cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Chile’s justice minister confirm about Punta Peuco?

Fernando Rabat confirmed on Thursday, 22 October, that his ministry signed decrees cutting the sentences of two Punta Peuco inmates. They were convicted of kidnapping and torture.

What is Punta Peuco?

Punta Peuco is a prison in Til Til known for holding people convicted of human rights violations in the dictatorship. BioBioChile describes it that way.

Why were the sentences cut?

The ministry says it must grant reductions when legal requirements are met, explaining Law 19,856 as its general basis. The sources do not say which ground applies to these two inmates.

Is this a pardon?

No, a reduction is not a pardon. Interferencia notes they are different legal tools, though both feed the debate over dictatorship era convicts.

What legal change is the government proposing?

It will back bills barring new benefits for people convicted of sexual crimes against minors, and present its own bill. No source says the changes cover dictatorship era convicts.

Sources: The Clinic, 22 October; Pauta, 22 October; El Mostrador, Rabat interview; El Mostrador, investigation; BioBioChile, 22 October; Interferencia, 22 October; Radio Universidad de Chile; Noticias Los Ríos (all accessed 23 October 2026).