Western Russophobia Campaign is Insane - Daughter of Chilean Political Prisoner Corvalan
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50 years ago on September 11, 1973, a military coup took place in Chile. Socialist President Salvador Allende was overthrown and a junta, led by General Augusto Pinochet, installed a brutal dictatorship.
On this occasion, Sputnik Mundo spoke with Viviana Corvalán, the daughter of legendary Chilean communist Luis Corvalán. Viviana addressed the events that took place half a century ago and her family’s life as they were forced into exile to the USSR, as well as the current issues of international politics.
Corvalán Family, Victims of Pinochet Dictatorship
In an interview with #SputnikMundo, Viviana Corvalán reveals that after Pinochet came to power, her family, like many other victims of the dictatorship, had to go through hell. Viviana’s father, Luis Corvalán, then-general secretary of the Chilean Communist Party, was arrested and tortured. The same ordeal happened to his son, who died in exile at just 28 because of severe damage to his health.
Former Chilean Communist leader Luis Corvalan
© RIA Novosti . Vitaliy Arutyunov
/ "It was what any other Chilean family, victimized by the dictatorship, went through: my father, sister-in-law and brother were imprisoned, I was detained in the streets," Corvalán recalls. She was also banned from "attending or even showing up" at any university.
"They completely ruined our lives. I suffered academically, politically or even in terms of friendships. Who would talk to you during the dictatorship? Our family was constantly being watched. In other words, whoever approached us was immediately claimed a communist," she said.
The evil done to her family was so great that Corvalán admits: she still feels "terrible rage" and refuses to forgive those involved in the crimes committed during the dictatorship.
"Honestly, when people tell me about the healing power of forgiveness, I say that it is not reconciliation or forgiveness I seek, it is justice” Corvalán said, particularly furious that those who tortured her brother got away with killing him.
‘Soviet Union Was Where I Felt Happiest’
In 1976, Luis Corvalán was exchanged for Vladimir Bukovsky, a Soviet dissident, and received political asylum in the USSR as part of an agreement between Soviet and Chilean authorities under the mediation of the United States.
Viviana Corvalán, 21 at the time, also came to Moscow with her younger sister. She says it was love at first sight with the country, which she already knew thanks to the gifts her father brought back from the USSR before the Chilean coup.
Daughters Secretary of the Communist Party of Chili, Luis Corvalan, Viviana, left, and Mariya-Victoriya, at news conference at the Soviet Committee of Solidarity with Chilean Democrats.
© Sputnik / Vladimir Vyatkin
When talking about the Russian capital and its residents, Corvalán emphasized their "greatness" and "elegance." She also added that Soviet society was "fantastic” and “wonderful," regarding its social achievements, which are still unattainable for many countries today.
"People were entitled to free housing, even if it was a communal apartment. The number of tents and homeless people we have in the streets of Chile is inconceivable. In the Soviet Union, however, despite having to share a bathroom and kitchen, you still had a place to live. There were thousands of construction cranes in Moscow, because there was always something being built," she said.
Daughters if the Chile Communist party secretary general Luis Corvalan - Viviana (left) and Maria Victoria (right) with the WWII veteran, Hero of the Soviet Union, pilot Nadezhda Popova.
© Sputnik / Sergey Guneev
"I could financially afford to pursue whatever studies I wanted; I had a place to live, I had access to free health care, I had love, colleagues and friends I keep in touch with to this day," says Corvalán, highlighting the stability of her life in the Soviet Union, in stark contrast with the anxiety she felt upon her return to Chile.
"This anxiety comes from the stress about not having enough money for rent, food, and your daughter’s school. Then, at night, there’s fear of break-ins and burglars. I experienced none of it in the Soviet Union," said Corvalán.
17 August 2023, 11:09 GMT
"The Soviet Union was where I felt the happiest. It is not only the USSR I miss, but also Russia," she said.
‘Zelensky is being used as a puppet against Russia’
According to Corvalán, the current global campaign of Russophobia is "insane." In this regard she regretted the attitude of the incumbent president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, who sides with Kiev when it comes to the Ukraine conflict.
"I am ashamed of the current Chilean government, which includes the Communist Party as part of the governing coalition. I am ashamed that they are blind to the war’s nature and the role of the US that is clearly using Ukraine against Russia with a puppet like Zelensky. I do not understand how they cannot see this," said Corvalán, adding that the Chilean media is clearly distorting the coverage of the conflict.
6 September 2023, 20:50 GMT
She also noted that the anti-Russian campaign in the West largely reminds her of Pinochet attacking the communists, which, according to her, is still relevant.
"I can feel the anti-communist sentiment to this day. It is the same with Russophobia," she told #SputnikMundo. She said she is ready to stand up to such attacks and lies. “I am the daughter of a man who was very brave and consistent, a man who taught us not to be afraid to tell the truth," Corvalán concluded.
