After 40 years, Chile still split over 1973 military coup.
| Autor | Witte-Lebhar, Benjamin |
If this month's flurry of finger-pointing, public apologies, media exposes, and commemoration ceremonies was any indication, Chile's 1973 military coup--and the brutal dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) that it unleashed--are nowhere close to fading from the country's collective conscience.
Sept. 11 marked the 40th anniversary of the bloody coup, a singular historic event that continues to divide the South American nation even now, 23 years after democracy was restored and seven years after the dictator, Pinochet, passed away (NotiSur, Jan. 5, 2007). Critics of the military strongman lament that he was never made to answer for the multitude of human rights violations committed during his 17-year hold on power. Military and secret police arrested and tortured tens of thousands for their leftist leanings. More than 3,000 were killed or disappeared, according to government reports. But Pinochet also has his defenders. Some claim he saved the country from imminent civil war. Many more applaud his economic legacy: the World Bank now ranks Chile as the region's richest in per capita Gross National Income (GNI).
Always a day charged with raw emotions, this year's anniversary--taking place against the backdrop of a quickly approaching presidential election--touched a particular nerve in Chile, where opinions about Pinochet's legacy still serve as an all-important litmus test for the country's political leaders. A case in point: Chile's two principal power blocs, the conservative Alianza and center-left Concertacion coalitions, both commemorated the coup anniversary, but in separate ceremonies--held on the same morning, Sept. 9, on opposite sides of Santiago's city center.
In a delicately worded address, President Sebastian Pinera condemned the Pinochet regime for its many human rights violations. "Things like torture and forced disappearances should never ever be justified," he told onlookers gathered in front of La Moneda, Chile's presidential palace. "In other words, the ends don't justify the means."
The president was careful, nevertheless, to avoid the word "dictatorship." He also pegged deposed President Salvador Allende (1970-1973) as partly responsible for the coup. Pinera accused Allende's Unidad Popular government of setting in motion "a predictable sequence of events" by "repeatedly violating the rule of law."
Allende, a leftist who narrowly won the presidency in 1970 after several failed bids, died during the military's 1973 assault on La Moneda. Many on the Chilean left hail him as a martyr. The far-right has long accused Allende...
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