Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte[1] (November 25, 1915 – December 10, 2006) was President of Chile from 1974 to 1990, and head of the military junta from 1973 to 1974. His rule instituted broad economic reforms and a severe and highly controversial campaign against leftist political parties, including repression of the civilian population.
On September 11, 1973, Pinochet, recently appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army, headed a coup d'état against Socialist President Salvador Allende and established military government. Pinochet implemented a series of military operations in which (according to the 1993 Rettig Report) approximately 3,000 people were killed [2], while (according to the 2004 Valech Report) 27,000 were incarcerated without trials and subjected to torture [3]. Thousands more fled in exile, in particular to Argentina, as political refugees; however, they were followed in their exile by the DINA secret police, in the frame of Operation Condor which linked South American dictatorships together against political opponents.
In 1974, the junta appointed Pinochet president by a joint decree, later confirmed by a plebiscite in 1980. He remained in power until 1990, after his attempt to continue to rule was defeated in the 1988 plebiscite. After stepping down, he remained a life-senator, in accord with the 1980 Constitution. He was also Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army until March 10, 1998.
At the time of his death in December 2006, around 300 criminal charges were still pending against him in Chile for human rights abuses (torture, forced disappearance, assassination, etc.), tax evasion and embezzlement under his rule and afterwards [4] — in 2006, Pinochet's total wealth was estimated at $28 million or more [5]. Pinochet remains a controversial figure in many parts of the world, dividing people who condemn him for his human rights abuses from those who credit him with bringing order and economic stability to Chile.
On September 11, 1973, Pinochet, recently appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army, headed a coup d'état against Socialist President Salvador Allende and established military government. Pinochet implemented a series of military operations in which (according to the 1993 Rettig Report) approximately 3,000 people were killed [2], while (according to the 2004 Valech Report) 27,000 were incarcerated without trials and subjected to torture [3]. Thousands more fled in exile, in particular to Argentina, as political refugees; however, they were followed in their exile by the DINA secret police, in the frame of Operation Condor which linked South American dictatorships together against political opponents.
In 1974, the junta appointed Pinochet president by a joint decree, later confirmed by a plebiscite in 1980. He remained in power until 1990, after his attempt to continue to rule was defeated in the 1988 plebiscite. After stepping down, he remained a life-senator, in accord with the 1980 Constitution. He was also Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army until March 10, 1998.
At the time of his death in December 2006, around 300 criminal charges were still pending against him in Chile for human rights abuses (torture, forced disappearance, assassination, etc.), tax evasion and embezzlement under his rule and afterwards [4] — in 2006, Pinochet's total wealth was estimated at $28 million or more [5]. Pinochet remains a controversial figure in many parts of the world, dividing people who condemn him for his human rights abuses from those who credit him with bringing order and economic stability to Chile.
READ MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinochet
