Chilean poet Pablo Neruda's death investigated anew 50 years later
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A Chilean judge is investigating the death of Poet Pablo Neruda based on a new report by forensic scientists.
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A woman looks at a painting of Chilean poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda during a ceremony on the 30th anniversary of his death, in Isla Negra, west of Santiago, September 23, 2003. (Reuters)
Forensic experts have released a new report presenting striking evidence that the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, known for his social justice work, passed away from poisoning and not from prostate cancer as previously reported. The poet's family has argued his case for so long, and now, 50 years later, new evidence suggests they might be right.
Neruda's family, assuring that he died from poisoning, presented forensic tests carried out by specialists from Canada, Denmark, and Chile who examined the body and found Clostridium botulinum in his molars. The substance is a toxin that causes paralysis and even death.
With the Nobel-prize winner's death being a subject of debate for 5 decades now, the report is being investigated by Paola Plaza, a Chilean judge, who will review the reports and reveal her findings on March 7.
Who might have poisoned Neruda?
It is noteworthy that Neruda's came just as dictator Augusto Pinochet came to power.
Thousands were assassinated and tens of thousands were forcibly disappeared and detained during the dictator's 17-year-long rule, including some high-profile figures who opposed his actions and ideologies.
Being known for his social justice work, Neruda was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. He also served as a senator for the Chilean Communist Party, which may have triggered hate toward the poet.
Pinochet's administration was known for its brutal crimes against popular public figures, including the torture and killing of renowned artist Victor Jara, writer of the famous protest song "el pueblo unido jamás será vencido" (the people united will never be defeated) in September of 1973.
Not all, but several reformed journalists survived torture and were able to break free from the dictator's captivity.
"The bullet has been found, but who shot it? We're yet to find out but what is now known for certain is that he was killed and someone was involved," Neruda's nephew Rodolfo Reyes told Spanish language media.
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