Chile’s Coup Remembered On 40th Anniversary


Chile’s coup d’etat was remembered on Wednesday, the 40th anniversary of the military’s bloody takeover. The military coup toppled socialist president Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973.

Augusto Pinochet took Allende’s place and ruled for 17 years. Chile commemorated the day on Wednesday after a week of remembrances dedicated to the 40th anniversary.

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera spoke about the coup on Monday during a visit to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. Al Jazeera reports that he criticized the coup, but called it a “predictable outcome” following “violations of the rule of law” under Allende.

More than 3,200 people were killed or “disappeared” by the Pinochet regime during 1973 until 1990. Figures from Amnesty International show that at least 262 people have been sentenced for human rights violations related to the Chile coup.

The Huffington Post notes that the Chile coup anniversary is often marked by violence, as vandals clash with police. At least 68 arrests were made by early Wednesday and officials stated that one police officer was injured overnight.

Pinochet loyalists often gather on the coup’s anniversary to remember him and pay tribute to his rule. They often see the former dictator as a fatherly figure who championed Chile’s economic growth. But their numbers are dwindling and only 18 percent of Chileans now agree with that line of thinking.

Pinochet did champion prosperity after the Chile coup. However, he also shut down Congress, made political parties illegal, and sent thousands of his opponents into exile. The former dictator died while under house arrest in 2006. He was never tried for any of his alleged crimes.

Protesters on Monday carried photos of family members killed or disappeared by the dictator and his regime. They marched through the streets of Santiago to La Moneda, Chile’s presidential palace. About 1,000 people then laid down on the ground in remembrance of those who were disappeared. Police eventually subdued the protesters with tear gas and water cannons.

Along with the coup anniversary this week, Chile’s supreme court admitted last week to neglect during Pinochet’s rule. While it has been 40 years since the coup took place, the wounds from Pinochet’s rule are still healing.

[Image by Marjorie Apel via Wikimedia Commons]

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