User:Calum G Fraser/sandbox

Chilean national commission on political imprisonment and torture

Chile's National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture was responsible for investigating death and disappearances that occurred during the military junta lead by Augusto Pinochet that lasted from 1973 until the government was transitioned to democracy in 1990. This commission was created by president Ricardo Lagos. It specifically dealt with those imprisoned for political purposes. Many of those imprisoned also faced torture at the hands of the regime. This truth commission began in 2003 and operated until 2005. Statements from 35, 000 people were taken. It was preceded by a previous truth commission, National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation, that ran from 1990 until 1991. This one was put into effect shortly after Pinochet relinquished power. Although very thorough in some regards, it was deemed that further investigation was needed for cases of torture and imprisonment.

Background

Salvador Allende was the first Marxist president to be democratically elected to lead a Latin American country. He had previously unsuccessfully ran for office three times. He nationalized industries previously controlled by private corporations, angering both members of the Chilean government and foreign countries with business interests in Chile. He also focused on redistribution of wealth . Allende established relations with many not favoured by the West, such as Cuba and the Eastern Bloc. The United States highly opposed Allende's presidency , and declassified documents show that there were plans to stop him that never went into effect. The Supreme Court of Chile also opposed the Allende government and publicly decried it for failing to comply with some judicial decisions.

Coup

During the initial attack by the military, which was later revealed to have received financial support from the United States (this occurred during the Cold War, so America was particularly weary of communism at this point). Pinochet in power was much more in America's interest. Under the influence of free-market economists from the University of Chicago, Pinochet did away with many government programs, eliminated price controls and implemented free trade policies. When the military attacked, Allande refused to leave the presidential palace. He was confirmed to have committed suicide there, despite some reports that he had been murdered. All branches of military were involved, with the Navy playing an important role.

Initial suppression

Following the coup, the junta government detained 40,000 in the National Stadium of Chile.Thousands were killed, tortured and "disappeared". Methods of torture included electrocution, burning with a cattle prod, water boarding as well as other methods of violence. Notable death squad Caravan of Death carried out some of the killings, including the murder of popular leftist musician Victor Jara. In the first years of the coup, over 100,000 political enemies, both real and perceived, were killed.

Ongoing abuse

The junta government was characterized by an ongoing disregard for human rights and disappearances of the political opposition. Many were detained and torture was not an uncommon tactic. The DINA secret police chased many refugees into neighbouring countries, most notably Argentina. Allende's Vice President, Carlos Prats, was killed by the secret police along with his wife his wife in 1974. In 1976 agents of DINA executed exiled economist Orlando Letelier in Washington D.C. Clashes with guerillas were especially common in the 1980s.

Pinochet's fall from power

The 1988 plebicide determined the constitution was to be amended. Pope John Paul II's criticism of the dictatorship proved a hard blow to the deeply Christian country, with the Pope personally asking him to step down in 1987. . A referendum was called to determine if the people wanted the junta regime over and democratic elections to be called. Just under 56% of the people voted no to Pinochet and the road to democracy was underway. Part of the reason the vote against Pinochet was low considering his abuses were that some feared that his demise would lead to another Marxist government and economic instability.

Emergence of the truth commission

A truth commission was promptly set up. It began operations in 1991, one year after a new president was democratically elected. This dealt with deaths and disappearances during the Pinochet regime, especially those that were political in nature. Although Pinochet was out of power, he was still part of the government and still had a significant amount of support from those still loyal to him, which complicated matters. Since prosecutions were difficult under the given terms, the main focus of the commission was to give a full account of what happened, determine what reparations are necessary, identify victims and to determine measures needed to stop history from repeating.

Outcome

The truth commission found that 3,216 people were either killed or dissapeared and 38,254 people were political prisoners and may have been subject to torture.. 700 former military agents who operated under Pinochet's rule were put on trial, and 70 were convicted. However, some of those imprisoned spent part of their time in a luxury prison, which was later shut down due to public outcry.

Setbacks and criticism

One major problem in seeking justice, is that in part of relinquishing power. Pinochet and some others were granted immunity from prosecution. Pinochet was also given the privilege of being a senator for life, which was later revoked. Under his conditions for relinquishing power, Pinochet could not be prosecuted for his actions. However, despite previously enjoying comfortable relations with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, he was arrested in London in 1998 . He was detained for a year and a half and allowed to travel back to Chile in 2000. He was to be tried in Chile, but in 2002 it was ruled that he would not stand trial because of his dementia. This decision was reversed and he was placed on house arrest in 2005. Despite overwhelming evidence, a large part of which was brought to light by both truth commission, Pinochet was never convicted of crimes related to his rule.

One setback is that that some people falsely claimed that their relatives were disappeared during Pinochet's rule in order to obtain government benefits.