Chile - The Crimes of Pinochet

He claimed he was Chile's saviour but devised one of the worst concentration camp regimes since Hitler's 'Grand Plan.' As Chile comes to terms with General Pinochet's death, we offer you the definitive film on his crimes. Under Pinochet's regime, over a quarter of a million people were detained in prisons like the Chacabuco desert camp. These are the only images to have emerged from his camps and reveal the true horror of his regime. "They must stay here until they realise they are on the wrong path," states the guard at Chacabuco Concentration camp. Nearby prisoners suspected of being Communists are forced to march and sing military songs. One of the victims filmed at the camp was Patricia Letelier. Now, she lives in exile in Scotland and recalls what happened to her at Chacabuco. "I heard shouting and screaming and knew what was waiting for me. Shortly afterwards my own torture began." Powerful images show men kneeling with their hands in the air, being kicked and beaten with the butts of soldiers' guns. Others show men being marched into the stadium stripped naked with blankets over their heads.

Augusto Pinochet Ugarte (1915-2006), was a military dictator of Chile from 1973 to 1990. Born in Santiago, Pinochet graduated from Chile's military academy in 1936. Rising steadily through army ranks, he was appointed brigadier general during the administration of Eduardo Frei Montalva. Under President Salvador Allende, Pinochet became commander of the Santiago garrison, and in 1972 he was made commander in chief of the army.

Pinochet was one of the leaders of a United States-backed military coup d'etat that deposed the Marxist government of Allende in 1973. Pinochet was named president of the military junta's governing council, and he quickly moved to suppress the leftist opposition. By 1974 Pinochet had emerged as head of state. In a campaign to destroy leftist political forces in Chile, Pinochet's government arrested thousands of people; many were executed or disappeared, and many others were imprisoned. Thousands fled the country. In 1977 the United Nations Human Rights Commission condemned Pinochet's government for torturing detainees.

In 1980 Chilean voters approved a plebiscite that gave Pinochet an eight-year presidential term, which began in 1981. After surviving an assassination attempt in 1986, Pinochet dealt even more harshly with dissidents. In 1988 Chileans rejected a plebiscite that would have allowed Pinochet a second eight-year term beginning in 1989. In December 1989 Patricio Aylwin was elected to succeed Pinochet; Pinochet stepped down from the presidency in 1990 when Aylwin was inaugurated, although he retained his post as army commander.

Pinochet retired from the army in 1998 and assumed a lifetime seat in the Chilean Senate. (Under the constitution drafted during Pinochet's administration, past presidents were guaranteed lifetime seats in the Senate.) As a senator, Pinochet was immune from prosecution for crimes carried out during his dictatorship. When Pinochet assumed his Senate seat, thousands of Chileans protested outside the National Congress building, while leftist senators and deputies protested within.

Although the Chilean constitution shielded Pinochet from prosecution in Chile, it did not protect him from judicial proceedings overseas. While Pinochet was seeking medical treatment in the United Kingdom in 1998, a Spanish judge requested his extradition to Spain to face charges of human rights violations committed during his regime. The Chilean government demanded Pinochet's release, arguing that as a senator he had diplomatic immunity. In 1999 the United Kingdom's highest court ruled that Pinochet could be extradited under the terms of a 1988 international human rights agreement. Legal appeals by Pinochet delayed extradition.

In 2000 the United Kingdom, citing Pinochet's failing health, released the former dictator to Chile. Shortly after Pinochet's return, the Chilean Supreme Court stripped him of his immunity from prosecution. In early 2001 Pinochet was charged with committing kidnapping and murder during his rule, and he was placed under house arrest. However, charges of Pinochet's direct involvement in the crimes were soon reduced to charges that he had only acted as an accessory by covering up the crimes. Later in 2001 the Santiago Court of Appeals ruled that Pinochet was mentally unfit to stand trial and dismissed the legal proceedings against him. In 2002 he resigned his seat in the Senate, citing health reasons.

The former president's reputation was further damaged after an investigation revealed that he may have stolen millions in government funds while in power. His wife and son were arrested in 2005 for their possible involvement in the embezzlement, and Pinochet was later indicted on charges of tax evasion.

In October 2006 Pinochet was again placed under house arrest on charges of murder, kidnapping, and torture. The new indictment stemmed from an investigation of a notorious detention center known as Villa Grimaldi, which was established following the 1973 military coup. A number of political prisoners were tortured and killed at the detention center. Pinochet was later released from house arrest, but in November 2006 was indicted on new charges of ordering the kidnapping of two bodyguards to President Allende. Before he could be tried, however, Pinochet suffered a heart attack and died from heart complications in December 2006. At the time of his death he was under indictment in three cases of human rights violations and one of tax evasion.