Chilean President Gabriel Boric issued a speech this Monday, September 11, within the framework of the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état that unleashed 17 years of a bloody dictatorship. The president assured that the military takeover that brought Augusto Pinochet to power “is not separable” from the wave of crimes that followed. The event at the Palacio de la Moneda was attended by foreign political leaders, such as the president of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro.
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It is a painful date and a turning point in the history of Chile. This is how President Gabriel Boric described the coup d’état by Augusto Pinochet, which turns 50 this September 11, and which gave way to 17 years of violence and repression.
From the Palacio de la Moneda, in Santiago, the president issued a speech in which he stressed that “It is very important to clearly state that the Coup d’état cannot be separated from what came after”when referring to the wave of crimes against anyone who thought differently and opposed the dictatorship.
“From the moment of the coup d’état, the human rights of Chileans were violated,” Boric stressed. More than 40,000 people were victims of executions, forced disappearances and torture, among other crimes, according to estimates by the Ministry of Justice, based on investigations by various commissions.
It is “a story that is shared, that brought death, that brought suffering, persecution and poverty to our country (…) May violence never again replace democratic debate in our coexistence“Boric said in his speech.
🔴 This Monday afternoon, President Gabriel Boric led the official ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Coup d’état, making a speech in the Plaza de la Constitución. pic.twitter.com/IhS2Dd5J2l
— Meganoticias (@meganoticiascl) September 11, 2023
The event was attended by political leaders from the region, such as the former president of Uruguay, José ‘Pepe’ Mujica, the current president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro.
In contrast, the right-wing opposition political parties did not participate, as they had anticipated, the local press highlighted.
The figure of the deceased democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, was the center of the tributes, a leader against whom the violent military takeover took place five decades ago and who after being cornered by Pinochet’s troops decided to take his own life.
Subsequently, all members of his team were tortured and murdered, according to the account of Joan Garcés, who then served as one of Allende’s closest advisors and who saved his life after the president asked him to leave the presidential palace. .
“Responsibility does not involve trying to equalize responsibility between victims and perpetrators”
Boric insisted on the need to recognize what happened. Despite this horrible chapter in history, extreme right-wing discourses have been strong in Chile that not only ignore the seriousness of the human rights violations committed under Pinochet’s command, but also justify it.
In the midst of this panorama, the president maintained that “responsibility does not involve trying to equalize responsibility between victims and perpetrators” and assured that “only by assuming the debts of the past and healing the wounds will a harmonious coexistence and the construction of a society be possible.” that is humanly projected into the future.”
Likewise, the president defended his position after joining the marches last weekend of the families of the victims. “I do not regret for a second being together with my government on the side of those who suffered,” he stressed.
“Unity and reconciliation are not achieved with neutrality or distance. It is achieved by taking the side of those who were victims of horror,” the President remarked.
Five decades after the beginning of the dictatorship, the majority of the victims’ relatives have still not recovered their bodies and a large part of those involved have still not faced justice.
This Monday in his speech, Boric assured that “the search for Justice cannot depend exclusively on the efforts of families and their loved ones. It is an unavoidable duty of the State, The State made them disappear and the State must take charge of knowing where they are.“emphasized the Chilean president, amidst applause.
With local media
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