Beers & Books (395) – José Carrasco

Chile, my martyred land

José Carrasco (24 August 1943 – 8 September 1986)

Bowing to courageous journalists

Freedom of the press is not only endangered in war zones or dictatorships.

Today, the 1st Hamburg Press Freedom Week began; with interesting guests talking about interesting topics.

Coincidence it's September 11?

My thoughts go back ... no, not 22 years. 50 years.

September 11, 1973: Chilean coup d'état

Never shall I forget this day and the atrocities that followed. 

And I shan't forget José Carrasco. 

Chile, my tortured country

In the morning hours of 8 September 1986, shortly after a regrettably unsuccessful assassination attempt on General Pinochet, José Carrasco, editor of the magazine Análisis, was kidnapped from his flat and shot by a death squad at a cemetery wall.
The cemetery wall became a site of resistance. Residents of the adjacent poor quarter painted the wall white and decorated it with flowers.
At first, policemen came every night, painted the wall black, tore out the flowers, even sawed off an iron cross the poor of Caonchali had put up.
There, people who barely had enough money to eat, let alone buy newspapers, demanded freedom of speech and honoured the courage of the journalist and his colleagues.
Take my words as a tribute to all those who had, have and will have the courage to speak out against injustice, arbitrariness and totalitarianism of any kind.
I am not sure I would have been or would be so courageous.
The peace of the night.

Tripling the tribute

Neither I'd forget José Carrasco.

Seems it's a night I do remember some special people, representative for lots of courageous journalists.

Take it as a tribute to all those who had, have and will have the courage to speak out against injustice and totalitarism of any kind.
I am not sure, if I had been or would be such courageous.

The Peace of the Night.