Patricia del Cármen Verdugo Aguirre (October 20, 1947 – January 13, 2008) was a Chilean journalist, writer and human rights activist.
[1] Though she continued to work in magazines, Verdugo ultimately became well known for her books, many of which focused on human rights abuses during the military regime of Gen. Pinochet, which lasted from 1973 until 1990.
[1] The book recounts the extrajudicial murders of more than 70 members of the Chilean opposition between the months of October to November in 1973, shortly after Pinochet took power.
[1] Nearly all of the claims that Verdugo put forth in Los Zarpazos del Puma was later verified as factual and correct as the result of an investigation by Chilean Judge Juan Guzman, who prosecuted Augusto Pinochet for the murder of opponents.
[1] Patricia Verdugo died of gallbladder cancer on January 13, 2008, at Catholic University Hospital in Santiago, Chile.