In Chile, the 50th anniversary of the military Coup against President Salvador Allende was marked with a solemn commemorative clock. Yesterday, leftist President Gabriel Buric said at the La Moneda Government Headquarters in the capital, Santiago de Chile: “We are commemorating a painful history that undoubtedly represents a turning point in our history.” Borek defended democracy as the only path to a more just and humane society.

A minute of silence for the victims of the dictatorship

The victims of the Dictatorship were commemorated during a minute of silence. The coup of September 11, 1973 marked the beginning of a dictatorship that lasted 17 years. When the soldiers entered the government headquarters, President Allende shot himself with a Kalashnikov rifle.

Torture and kidnapping

Thousands of people were tortured and killed in the following years, and many were kidnapped or driven into exile. The coup led by General Augusto Pinochet continues to divide Chilean society. Families of victims of the military dictatorship complain that many crimes have never been solved, and those responsible have never been brought to justice.

The Heads of State and Government of Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Uruguay and Portugal, among others, participated in the commemorative ceremony. The ousted president’s daughter, Senator Isabel Allende, also attended the memorial ceremony.