An appeals court in Chile’s capital on Tuesday ruled that the case of Chilean poet and Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda’s death be reopened, stating that the investigation has not been fully completed and that new steps could potentially shed light on the true cause of his death.
Last December, a judge denied a request from Neruda’s nephew to reopen the case in order to explore alternative causes of death besides cancer, which is the cause listed on the poet’s death certificate.
In February 2023, Neruda’s nephew, Rodolfo Reyes, revealed that forensic experts from Canada, Denmark, and Chile had uncovered evidence suggesting that Neruda may have been poisoned over 50 years ago.
Reyes explained that forensic tests conducted in labs in Denmark and Canada showed the presence of “a significant amount of Cloristridium botulinum in Neruda’s system, which is incompatible with human life.” This potent toxin can lead to paralysis of the nervous system and ultimately death.
This development marked the latest twist in the ongoing debate in post-coup Chile. While the official stance has been that Neruda succumbed to complications from prostate cancer, his driver has maintained for years that foul play was involved.
In December, a judge determined that the forensic findings were either inconclusive or came too late, leading nowhere.
Several years earlier, international forensic experts had already refuted the official cause of death as cachexia, or bodily weakness and wasting due to chronic illness like cancer. However, at that time, they were unable to pinpoint the exact cause of Neruda’s demise.
On Tuesday, the appeals court unanimously overturned the judge’s decision and mandated the completion of the procedures requested by the nephew. These actions include a handwriting analysis of the death certificate, a comprehensive review of the test results from foreign agencies, and summoning statements from Chile’s documentation project and an expert on Clostridium botulinum.
Neruda, a member of the Communist Party, passed away 12 days after the 1973 military coup that toppled President Salvador Allende’s government and just before his planned exile to Mexico. The coup led to the rise of Gen. Augusto Pinochet to power.
Neruda’s remains were exhumed in 2013 for further investigation into his death, but those tests did not reveal any toxic substances or poisons in his bones. His family and driver persisted in demanding a deeper inquiry.
In 2015, the Chilean government acknowledged that it was “highly likely that a third party” played a role in Neruda’s death. Subsequently, in 2017, authorities reported finding traces of Clostridium botulinum bacteria in his bone remains and a molar.
Neruda was reburied at his beloved residence overlooking the Pacific Coast.
Known for his romantic poetry, Neruda was a close associate of Allende, who tragically took his own life rather than surrender during Pinochet’s coup. The military takeover and the subsequent persecution and loss of his friends deeply affected Neruda, prompting his decision to go into exile to speak out against the dictatorship.
However, a day before his planned departure, Neruda was rushed to a clinic in Santiago, where he had been receiving treatment for cancer and other ailments. He officially passed away there on September 23, 1973.
Suspicions of government involvement in Neruda’s death lingered long after Chile transitioned to democracy in 1990.
Throughout his lifetime, Neruda received numerous accolades, including the 1971 Nobel Prize for Literature.
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