In Chile will establish the fate of those who disappeared during the years of Pinochet’s dictatorship

Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced the launch of a national program aimed at finding out the fate of missing citizens during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.

At a ceremony broadcast on the presidential administration’s X (formerly known as Twitter) page, the head of state said: “This state policy will be permanent, and we, as a state, and not just as a government, undertake to do everything that it is up to us to clarify the circumstances of the disappearance and/or death, as well as to establish the final fate of our compatriots who were victims of enforced disappearance.”

According to the Chilean authorities, the fate of only 307 of the 1,469 missing during the military regime has been established so far. Minister of Justice and Human Rights Luis Cordero noted that Chile did not take enough action to find out the place of their burial, and the state showed inaction. He also emphasized that today they are committed to correcting this lack of responsibility and empathy towards families that have suffered and continue to suffer.

On September 11, 1973, a military junta led by General Pinochet staged a coup d’état in Chile. The legitimately elected socialist president, Salvador Allende, committed suicide during the storming of the palace by the putschists. According to the latest official figures, during the years of the military dictatorship in Chile (from 1973 to 1990), 3,225 people were killed or went missing for political reasons. Over 37,000 people were tortured.