In June 2016, a Florida jury found former Chilean Army officer Pedro Barrientos liable for Jara's murder. His prominent role as an admirer and propagandist for Che Guevara and Allende's government, in which he served as a cultural ambassador through the late 1960s and until 1973, made him a target. The contrast between the themes of his songs-which focused on love, peace, and social justice-and his murder transformed Jara into a 'potent symbol of struggle for human rights and justice' for those killed during the Pinochet regime. He was tortured during interrogations and ultimately shot dead, and his body was thrown out on the street of a shantytown in Santiago. Jara was arrested by the Chilean military shortly after the 11 September 1973 coup led by Augusto Pinochet, which overthrew Allende. This led to an uprising of new sounds in popular music during the administration of President Salvador Allende.
He also played a pivotal role among neo-folkloric musicians who established the Nueva canción chilena (New Chilean Song) movement. He developed Chilean theater by directing a broad array of works, ranging from locally produced plays to world classics, as well as the experimental work of playwrights such as Ann Jellicoe. Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez ( Spanish pronunciation: 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and Communist political activist.
