Chile’s Amnesty Law keeps Pinochet’s legacy alive
By Guadalupe Marengo, IPS News
Many of them have died waiting for justice. Many have died in silence. Weve had enough of painful waiting and unjustified silences. This is the time to join together in the search for truth. With these words, one year ago, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet marked the 41st anniversary of the 1973 coup detat in which a defiant general Augusto Pinochet took power by force.
More than 3,000 people were killed or disappeared and over 38,000 were detained arbitrarily and tortured during the 17 years of military regime that followed.
The Bachelet government promised to declare null and void the Amnesty Law, a decree passed by the Pinochet regime in 1978 to shield those suspected of committing human rights violations between 11 September 1973 and 10 March 1978 from facing the courts. The law sparked fierce debate in Chile, with many arguing it is nothing but a piece of legislation that hasnt been used for many years. They are partly right.
In 1998 Chiles Supreme Court ruled that the law should not apply to cases of human rights violations. This brave decision allowed for crucial investigations to move forward. Around 1,000 cases, 72 relating to allegations of torture, are active, according to data from the countrys Supreme Court from 2014. By October of the same year, 279 people had been found guilty in trials before ordinary civilian courts in connection with these crimes, and 75 were serving prison sentences. In May 2014, 75 former agents of Pinochets secret police (Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional, DINA) were sentenced to between 13 and 14 years in prison in connection with the disappearance of student Jorge Grez Aburto in 1974.
Other members of the DINA, including its former head Manuel Contreras Sepúlveda, were sentenced last October to 15 years in prison for the disappearance of Carlos Guerrero Gutiérrez and Claudio Guerrero Hernández, in 1974 and 1975 respectively. Contreras died while serving the sentence of 500 years in prison for his responsibility in human rights violations committed during the Pinochet years. And on 16 August, Chiles Supreme Court announced the prosecution of 15 members of Pinochets secret police for the killing of Spanish diplomat Carmelo Soria Espinoza in 1976.
This ruling marked a U-turn on an earlier decision to archive the case, as it fell under the scope of crimes protected by the Amnesty Law. The fact is, however, that the Amnesty Law is still valid. It was for many years a shameful wall behind which torturers and murderers were able to hide.
This archaic decree is a shocking reminder of Pinochets tragic legacy, one that has no place in a country that claims to stand for justice and human rights. Further, it is an affront to victims who are still desperately seeking answers and justice. Declaring the Amnesty Law null and void would force Chile to come face-to-face with its troubled past and finally send the message that the abuses of the Pinochet era will never be tolerated again.
At: http://www.ipsnews.net/2015/09/opinion-chiles-amnesty-law-keeps-pinochets-legacy-alive/
Judi Lynn
(160,542 posts)She lost so much because of the US-supported violent coup by the sadistic, power-mad General Pinochet. She and her mother lost precious time and well-being to Pinochet's torturers, and her father lost his life to them.
Time for Chile to push aside the monstrous, powerful leftover right-wing tyrants still running a lot of Chile, and chart the country for a new life free of fascists trying to run the show. Amnesty for these human rights "offenders" (sadistic murderers) must be rescinded, totally.