Fifty years ago today, the presidential palace of Chile, called La Moneda, was bombed. This was done during a military coup to remove the country’s president, Salvador Allende, who was elected by the people and believed in socialist ideas.
On September 11, 1973, President Allende died and a group of military leaders took control.
After General Augusto Pinochet took control for 17 years, about 40,000 people were captured, tortured, or made to vanish. More than 3,200 people were put to death.
The time when a dictator ruled Chile still affects and separates the people.
“These walls have seen terrible things and a cruel and controlling history that we remember and will always remember,” President Gabriel Boric said from the balcony of La Moneda in March 2022 after he became the youngest president of Chile at only 36 years old.
The young and forward-thinking group in his cabinet made a commitment to deal with and resolve the human rights abuses that occurred during Gen Pinochet’s rule.
Before today’s anniversary, his government that supports left-wing ideas started a program called the National Search Plan. This program is the first of its kind, supported by the government, and its purpose is to find out what happened to 1,469 people who went missing during military rule many years ago and are still missing to this day.
It is believed that the state killed them, but their bodies were never discovered.
The government spokesperson, Camila Vallejo, who leads the Ministry General Secretariat in Chile, explains that the plan aims to support the families of missing people. The goal is to relieve them from the burden of searching for their loved ones or finding the truth on their own.
The project will have a specific amount of money set aside for it and a team of people who will investigate it. Family members of missing persons may be eligible to receive compensation.
The National Search Plan aims to do two things: first, to find the people who were forcibly taken away, and second, to understand how and why they disappeared, so that the families who have been desperate for answers can finally get justice.
Despite democracy being brought back in 1990, the influence and presence of Gen Pinochet still affect Chile.
Pinochet was in charge of the army until 1998. Afterwards, he became a senator-for-life, a position he made for himself in the constitution he forced upon the people in 1980. As a senator, he couldn’t be charged with a crime in Chile.
However, in 1998, when he went to London, he was confined to his house by the authorities because Spanish lawyers were attempting to send him back to Spain to be tried for torture.
In 2000, Jack Straw, the person who was in charge of the home affairs in Britain, allowed General Pinochet to go back to Chile because of his health.
The boss passed away in 2006 at the age of 91 without ever going to jail.
Chile’s current government, many of whom started their political careers by rallying against Gen Pinochet’s conservative neoliberal regime, promises to hold accountable those responsible for committing crimes during military rule.
The highest court in Chile informed the BBC that the country’s legal system is currently examining over 2,000 situations where the rights of individuals were violated by government officials during the time of military rule.
However, a lot of people who have been hurt and their families are saying that things have been moving too slowly and not getting results.
Many ex-army officers have passed away in their later years without ever being taken to court. Some people were sent to nice prisons that had their own rooms, tennis courts, and BBQ areas.
The President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, talks to Alicia Lira, the President of the Association of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared of Chile, during a march to remember the 50th anniversary of the military takeover by General Augusto Pinochet against President Salvador Allende. This happened in Santiago, Chile, on September 10, 2023.
President Gabriel Boric walked with family members of the missing people in a special march on the day before the anniversary.
Minister Vallejo agrees that the progress made so far happened because of the efforts of human rights groups and the families of victims, not the government.
She says she knows why victims’ families don’t trust Chile’s institutions because some of them have not done a good job with investigations.
Earlier this year, it was discovered that 89 boxes with evidence from the time when the dictatorship was in power were left in a university basement for 20 years. The boxes were neglected and exposed to mold and dampness, which caused damage to them.
Camila Vallejo said to the BBC that the police, a team of scientists who study evidence, and courts would all help with the National Search Plan.
She said that it would become a “long-term rule” so that it would keep going even if the government changed.
Camila Vallejo says that families who have been affected by wrongdoing have been leading the way in seeking justice.
She also said that the families of the missing people will not only be there during the process but also keep an eye on it.
Before the anniversary, President Boric met with all the former presidents of Chile who are still alive. They came together to sign an official statement that expressed their disapproval of Gen Pinochet’s dictatorship.
Some people, including Sebastian Piñera, who used to be a conservative leader, signed the agreement. Sebastian Piñera didn’t agree with the UK arresting Augusto Pinochet, and his brother used to work for Pinochet as a minister.
However, even though Mr. Piñera has supported it, some people in Chile’s right-wing political spectrum have criticized the document because they still support the deceased dictator.
Members of Mr. Piñera’s political party, National Renewal, are upset and unhappy with the former president’s endorsement of the declaration.
Senator Manuel José Ossandón said on a local radio station that the Boric administration is making the division in the country worse.
The senator said that if Allende hadn’t been in power, Pinochet wouldn’t have taken over. The senator thinks that Allende’s socialist policies caused his own downfall and the military dictatorship that came after.
Minister Vallejo stated that comments like these were not acceptable. He also mentioned that it was not fair to treat the victim and the person who caused harm equally.
Camila Vallejo has criticized statements that say Allende and Pinochet are the same.
“She argued that it is a fundamental aspect of democracy to have diverse opinions about Allende. ” “But we can’t blame Allende for the coup, it was actually Augusto Pinochet who was responsible for it. ”
According to her, the declaration is a very important event that shows Chileans and the world that we should always protect democracy and human rights, no matter what differences we may have.
