Sad day for all those who closely followed in the footsteps of the activist Joan Jara. The woman, who died on November 12 at the age of 96, was married to the Chilean singer-songwriter Víctor Jara. The artist was murdered and tortured during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet by a member of the Chilean Communist Party. Although Jara was already known for his pacifist and political songs, his death turned him into a symbol and a reference against repression.
''We regret to inform that our dear and beloved Joan Jara, at the age of 96, passed away today, November 12 at 5:30 p.m.," confirmed the Víctor Jara Foundation through a brief statement on social networks.
According to various sources close to the deceased who notified the EFE agency, the family is still working on the different events they will carry out to say goodbye to the tireless and veteran activist. The different tributes around the world will begin on Monday, November 13.
Since the singer was killed in 1973, the woman has been fighting tirelessly for justice to be done. Joan's death just two weeks before the United States extradite to Chile the retired lieutenant of the Chilean Army Pedro Barrientos, who was convicted in the North American country as the material author of the crime and torture of the singer-songwriter, has fallen like a jug of cold water in the environment of the deceased, since she will never be able to see what she achieved with her efforts.
Joan Jara experienced firsthand the harshness of the Pinochet regime, a dictatorship that killed her husband in cold blood and made her exile to Great Britain with her two daughters. The woman was not able to return to the American country until the mid-eighties, at which time she began a long political career that has continued to this day.
In 2009, after decades of work, the perpetrator of Víctor Jara's crime was identified. On June 27, 2016, a federal court in Orlando (United States) determined that the former Chilean military man was guilty of torture and extrajudicial murder of the Chilean singer-songwriter. However, they did not arrest the convicted man until last October. Barrientos will be extradited to Chile on November 28, an achievement that Joan will not be able to see, but that his loved ones will celebrate with excitement and joy.
