Daughter of Renowned Chilean Communist Compares Current Russophobia With Pinochet's Anti-Communism

To mark this date, Sputnik sat down with Viviana Corvalan, daughter of iconic Chilean communist Luis Corvalan, about the events of half a century ago, her family's life in forced exile in the Soviet Union, and current concerns in international politics.

The Corvalan Family, Victim of Pinochet Dictatorship

Viviana Corvalan told Sputnik that after Pinochet took power, her family, like many other dictatorship victims, experienced a living hell. Viviana's father, Luis Corvalan, then General Secretary of the Communist Party of Chile, was arrested and tortured. The same happened to his son, who later died in exile at the age of only 28, because of the damage done to his health.

"It was like any other Chilean family victimized by the dictatorship: my father in jail, my sister-in-law in jail, my brother in jail, I was also detained on the outside," Corvalan recalled. Among other things, she was forbidden to "study or even appear" at any university.

Viviana remarked that the dictatorship "broke their lives completely in all areas". According to her, this applied to studies, political activism and even friendships.

"In those years of dictatorship, who could communicate with you? We were a family that was constantly under surveillance. In other words, whoever approached us was immediately considered a communist," she said.

The evil inflicted on her family was so great that Corvalan admitted that she continues to feel a "terrible rage" and refuses to forgive those involved in the crimes of the dictatorship.

"Honestly, when I am told about forgiveness and that pardoning will heal me, I say I don't want reconciliation or excuse: I want justice," said Corvalan, outraged in particular that those who tortured her brother went unpunished for his death.

'I Was Happier in the Soviet Union Than Anywhere Else'

In 1976, as a result of an agreement between the Soviet and Chilean authorities, mediated by the United States, Luis Corvalan was exchanged for Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky and granted political asylum in the USSR.

Viviana, who was 21 at the time, also traveled to Moscow with her younger sister. She said she fell in love with the country at first sight, already familiar from the gifts her father brought from the USSR before the coup in Chile. For example, she learnt to ride on a "Russian bicycle".

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Emphasizing the "grandeur" and "elegance" of the Russian capital and its people, Viviana described Soviet society and its social conquests as "fantastic" and "wonderful" and things which are still unattainable for many countries.

"There was a right to housing, even if it was in a communal apartment. It's unimaginable how many tents we have on the streets here in Chile, how many people live on the streets in winter and summer. In the Soviet Union, anyway, even if the bathroom and the kitchen were shared, there was somewhere to sleep, somewhere to live. And you always saw thousands of construction cranes in Moscow, as there was always something being built there," she noted.

She also emphasized the "indisputable right" to free healthcare and the achievements the Soviet Union had made in this area. "I also can't help mentioning the right to education," said Viviana, who studied choreographic art direction at the Russian Institute of Theater Art (GITIS).

"I had the opportunity to study what I liked without economic problems; I had a place to live, access to healthcare, love, colleagues and friends with whom we still keep in touch to this day," Viviana said, emphasizing that the quality of her life in the Soviet Union contrasted sharply with the anxiety she felt when she returned to Chile.

She explained that "this anxiety stems from wondering whether your pay will be enough for a month's rent, and to eat, and to pay for your daughter's school fees."

In addition, in Chile, Viviana experienced fear at night that someone would "break into the house to steal".

"I never experienced any of this in the Soviet Union," she said. "I was happier in the Soviet Union than anywhere else. And I miss not only the Soviet Union, but also Russia."

'US Using Zelensky as Puppet Against Russia'

According to Viviana, the present campaign of Russophobia emerging around the world is "madness". In this regard, she regretted the position of Chile's present president, Gabriel Borich, who sided with Kiev over the Ukrainian conflict.

"I am ashamed of the current Chilean government, where the Communist Party is part of the ruling coalition. I am ashamed that they do not understand the point and are unable to see that this is a war by the United States, which is obviously using Ukraine with a puppet like Zelensky against Russia. I don't understand how they don't realize this," Viviana remarked, adding that the Chilean media clearly distort information about the conflict.

She also stressed that the anti-Russian campaign waged in the West reminded her a lot of Pinochet's attacks on communists, which, she said, are still not a thing of the past.

"To this day I feel and sense this anti-communism. It is the same with Russophobia," Viviana argued.

However, she pointed out that she is ready to confront such attacks and lies.

"I am the daughter of a father who was a very brave and very consistent man and who taught us not to be afraid to speak the truth," she concluded.