(Extract from 58 minutes of interview https://soundcloud.com/alc-content-team/entrevista-completa-con-adriana-rivas-28-august-2013)
Adriana Rivas: I've always travelled to Chile. I used to go every two years to see my parents.
Florencia Melgar (journalist): When was the last time you went there?
Adriana Rivas: In 2006.
Journalist: And you went to return in 2006, what happened?
Adriana Rivas: I went to my niece's wedding, she invited me to attend, they paid for my plane ticket from Chile, because my niece really wanted me to be in her wedding.
Journalist: And that was in November 2006.
Adriana Rivas: November of 2006.
Journalist: And when did you return. Or when did you plan to return?
Adriana Rivas: I was planning to return in February [2007]. My return date was 3rd February, if I'm not wrong. On 26th, a couple of days before my birthday, I receive this phone call... no, I'm lying, they call my eldest sister. I always leave the address where I'll be staying to the embassy, etc. for whatever reason it could be needed.
Journalist: Sure
Adriana Rivas: You never know... so the Embassy had my sister's address and phone number. They called her and she answered she didn't know where I was. It was the truth, she didn't know where I was. She knew I was in Chile but not where in Chile, because I had sisters in Quilpue, in Talagante, in Vina... in different places, so they left the message that I should call them. Yes, she said. And she immediately called me to my mobile phone and said "Chany, they are after you." "Who, who is looking for me?" I answered. "The Police", she said, from Investigations. I told her they could wait. I'll take care of it when I return. And I told my mum... "mum, they are after me..." and my mum went nuts. I said "mum, why are you worried, if I didn't do anything bad, what can they accuse me of... ? That I worked with Pinochet?.. It's the only thing they cuold potentially accuse me for. Nothing else. If I didn't do anything bad... during all the year I worked there that is... let me think... 1973, 74, 75, 76, 77... four years I worked only, that is from November 1973 until December 1977.
Journalist: And what happened next? When you went to the airport [in 2007] they didn't let you board...
Adriana Rivas: No, no, it wasn't like that.
Journalist: Oh...
Adriana Rivas: So I went to Quilpue, where my sister lives and we were going to celebrate my birthday there. Everyone was going to gather there that weekend, all my family to celebrate my birthday because I was going to return on those first days... I was talking with my mummy and I asked her... what do I do? Do I call? And I decided yeah... I'll call and get out of this quickly... if I don't have anything to do with this. And somewhere in a notebook I had the name of this person. I called him and said "hello, this is Adriana Rivas". "Ahh... hello", he says and asked "are you in Australia?" I could have said "yes, I'm here at home", but I said "no, I'm here in Chile." He asked "whereabouts in Chile?". I said "In Quilpue". He asked if I could travel back on the same day. I said I couldn't because I was celebrating my birthday, how did he think I would travel then only because of his request. So he said "we can go and pick you up". I said "No, I'll call you again because I don't know the address where I am now." He said "but are you going to call me?" I said "yes, yes, I'll call you". But I didn't. I didn't call him back until Monday (laugh) because I wanted to have a good time with my family, right? I called on the Monday and I gave him the address, and he asked "can we go and pick you up? I said "yes, come and pick me up". They did and they arrested me. I was three months arrested in the Air Force.
Journalist: So you didn't know they were planning to arrest you when they contacted you.
Adriana Rivas: I had no idea. I hadn't read the newspaper, or the news. I was just focused on having a good time with my family.
Journalist: So they didn't tell you they were going to see you to arrest you.
Adriana Rivas: No.
Journalist: So you thought it was just a chat.
Adriana Rivas: Exactly, an interview and that was it, they arrested me.
Journalist: Did they explain why.
Adriana Rivas: They arrested me for participating in the detention and alleged murder of... I don't remember his name... the man who was the Secretary of the Socialist Party. and this happened in December 1976. And when they said... 76... 76... I said no, I wasn't there. And they asked me "why". And I said that on the same day my brother got married. "But there are some who say you were there", he said. "Well, he said, she said, he didn't say, he said", I told him. "I could also say you were there", I answered, "because you are part of the detective section".
Journalist: So how did you leave detention?
Adriana Rivas: After a lot, the government... no, not the government, the Military organised a lawyer to represent us and after fighting a lot and proving that we aren't unwanted or dangerous for society (because that's how they labelled us, they called us murderers as if we were going around killing one anyone on the road.
Journalist: When you say "we", who else are you talking about?
Adriana Rivas: 175 people were arrested for the same case, imagine that... 175 people arrested 1 person and they don't know if they make him disspear, if they didn't, because the body was never found. And I'm one of those 175.
Journalist: And so what happened when you left detention?
Adriana Rivas: I was out but I couldn't leave the country because I was... how can I say...
Journalist: The judicial process continued...
Adriana Rivas: No, no, it was just the investiagtion, just that.
Journalist: And during that period you had to stay in the country...
Adriana Rivas: Yes, I couldn't leave. For the ones living in the country, it wasn't an issue because they went on with their lives, they didn't have a problem because they had their families, they didn't have a problem because they had their house and a job, they had a way to make a living. But I had nothing, nothing nothing. I didn't have a job. I started working in a job and after one day and the following one, when they saw my police record, they saw I was prosecuted in the case of... I can't remember the name of this man... God have it in his holy glory (laughs)... prosecuted in the case "Conferencia" for kinapping and murder. Imagine, who will want to hire you? This paper is your background history...
Journalist: And that's a document you are asked when you apply for a job?
Adriana Rivas: Yes, everywhere, whether you work as a cleaner, in a restaurant, in the bank... anywhere... that's a document you need. I could have also worked as security, do you understand? But I couldn't because I only lasted one day. I worked one day and I was sacked. I tried to find work with friends, family but no one could give me any work. I lived on my mum's pension and whatever my siblings could help me with.
Journalist: How did you return back here [to Australia]?
Adriana Rivas: That hurts (sighs, starts crying, we do a break)
Journalist: So... how did you get here?
Adriana Rivas: A very good friend of mine came to Chile, we have always stayed in touch, she used to call me, she always checked on me, and she asks me to visit her to the house where she was staying in the suburb of Las Condes. I told her... yes, yes, I'll see you, I'll find a way. And I went there, and when she saw me she realised how bad I was. Maybe I wasn't that bad physically but emotionally I was in a very bad place. That year I said, I leave Chile or I kill myself, that simple it was. I left it in God's hands.
Journalist: And did your friend help?
Adriana Rivas: My friend saw me, we talked, I never told her I was in a bad space, I never show people when I'm not good. Because there are people who say/think... "I'm glad she's bad". I'm not like that, I'm a happy person, in my own way I'm happy and thankful. So later on she told me that when she saw me that day she thoguth "I have to take her out of here". She returned to Australia and two months after that she was back in Chile. Those are the friends that are worth. She talked with her family and one of her nephews gave the money to Adraina to return.
I had an idea of how to return but I didn't have the money becaise they charge a lot to leave the country without papers. I had my documents as they never took them away from me. They never took the Australian passport away from me. I used to go to the Embassy and psycologically the [Australian] embassy helped me. I can't deny that, they helped me.
Journalist: The Australian Embassy?
Adriana Rivas: Yes, the Australian Embassy. I used to go twice or three times per month and they used to help me, cheer me up... "Adriana, if you have nothing to do with it, continue fighting, cheer up". I can't deny it. They were excellent people for me. Thank god this person gave me the money, that I haven't been able to pay back yet, because I haven't been able to work enough.
So I talked to a person I like very much... and all the things came together... things just happened easily to leave the country. I came across a person who I used to know since I was a girl. I didn't remember him, I came across him when I was walking down the street. He said "hello little girl". I looked at him and asked myself... where do I know this gentleman from? And he said "how don't you remember me... I'm...." (I won't say his name). I said a big hello and gave him a hug. He said "I want to see you, I want you to come to my office". I said yes and asked for his address. He gave me his personal card. I said I was going to be there the followign day at the same time. I was coming from signing the bail, as I have to sign every month. So I went the following day and I explained my situation and he said "what a shame you didn't call me before. I could have helped you before".
I asked "how could you have helped me?" He said "I could have taken you out of the country". He said "I know how to get you out of the country". I asked "how much do you charge?" He said "I'm going to get all the information for you, call me tomorrow." And I did.
Journalist: And how was it? Through Argentina?
Adriana Rivas: Yes, through Argentina. It cost 5 million pesos. Everything, including leaving the country, the plane ticket to Australia.
Journalist: I don't know how much that is in dollars.
Adriana Rivas: It's like AUD 4,000 OR 5,000.
Journalist: So it all worked out well? Was it easy?
Adriana Rivas: Yes, Imagine... I was at my brother's who was very sick (then he died when I was back here in Australia) I was waiting at his place to be called. And when they did they said in two hours you need to be ready, we'll pick you up. They did, they took me to Mendoza. I had never been in Mendoza, I had never been in Argentina. I went through there but never went to Mendoza, from Mendoza to Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires I bought the plane ticket, all in the same day and I flew to Australia on the same day.
Journalist: How did you make it [to Mendoza], by bus, a private car?
Adriana Rivas: By bus.
Journalist: By bus, I se... And what happened with the notebook that you had to sign every month
Adriana Rivas: Until today nobody has come to ask me, never.
Journalist: Why don't you live in Chile? Because of the court case?
Adriana Rivas: Now I can't return. Even if I wanted. Well... I can return, because I know I won't be arrested, it's a worldwile rule. I know that if I return to Chile, they won't arrest me, nothing will happen to me because it's the universal law.
