Pinochet, the terrorist of the Chilean People is dead. Long Live Free Chile.


In a public statement, Isabel Allende, the daughter of the murdered and democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, "Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, the general who betrayed his president, Salvador Allende, is dead. Ms. Allende, a congressperson, commented that the 17 years during which Pinochet trampled human rights have left a painful wound in Chilean society which could not heal because Justice had not been done, as many of the Disappeared have not been found and there are still many corpses left to find and identify. Ms. Allende was however positive in her hope that there would "never again be an overthrow of the government, never a violation of the constitutional order and never again violations of human rights." It was her opinion that the best part of the inheritance of this chapter of history was that Chile "had painfully learned that democracy itself was the valuable thing which much be preserved."

Later, Ms. Allende commended that the children of Pinochet should not inherit the 30 million dollars with which the general retired. Ms. Allende did not not doubt that that money belongs to the Chilean people and would help reparation to Pinochet's victims.

The A.P. headline today is that "Hundreds Pay Respect to Pinochet." I am sure that is true but I am equally sure that thousands are happy that he is not breathing the same air they are. There are approximately 300 Disappeared; tens of thousands subjected to imprisonment and torture, and more than 30,000 Chilean exiled. These actions have resulted in more than 300 criminal complaints, in Chile and in other countries. A state funeral would be singularly inappropriate for a man who overthrew a democratically elected government and throw out the constitution he has sworn to uphold. However, the Chilean Army Academy has opened its doors so that mourners can view his body and say good-bye. This helps diffuse the tension, and perhaps once he is buried Chile can finally start to heal.