Australia Clears Extradition of Former DINA Agent Adriana Rivas After 7-Year Legal Battle

Australia's Federal Court (Justice Michael Lee) rejected former DINA agent Adriana Elcira Rivas's final legal challenge on April 7, 2026, clearing the way for her extradition to Chile after a seven-year legal battle. Rivas served as personal secretary to DINA Director Manuel 'Mamo' Contreras and is accused of participating in seven aggravated kidnappings of political prisoners in the late 1970s, including the disappearance of Víctor Díaz (Communist Party undersecretary, 1976) and Reinalda Pereira (who was five months pregnant at the time of her disappearance). Rivas fled to Australia in 1978 and built a quiet life in Bondi as a nanny and cleaner. She returned to Chile in 2006, was briefly detained, then escaped back to Australia. Chilean human rights lawyers and victims' families called the ruling a landmark against impunity. Rivas retains the right to appeal to a higher Australian court, which could delay extradition by several months. Chile's ambassador and consul general attended the hearing in Sydney. The case is being watched by human rights groups monitoring whether the incoming Kast government will pursue DINA accountability cases.