Monday, December 11, 2006

Brutal dictator Pinochet dies on Human Rights Day

Isn't it ironic (doncha think?) that murderous dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet died in his native Chile on International Human Rights Day? I think so. Rent the 1982 film "Missing" with Sissy Spacek and Jack Lemmon to get a sense of what it was like in Chile leading up to Pinochet's overthrow of the democratically-elected Allende government on Sept. 11, 1973.

From the UK Independent: "This is a moment of freedom, of joy, and of catharsis for an entire nation that lived through one of the worst dictatorships of all of Latin America," said Daniela Lillo, a mother and actress who stood in Santiago's Plaza Italia square, with a glass of champagne in hand.
With her four-year-old daughter in tow, she said her daughter she would never forget this day and her first sip of champagne.
But others say they were disappointed that Pinochet never saw his day in court for the 3,200 deaths and disappearances that took place under his rule.
"Pinochet has died without ever served justice," said Carmen Soria, the daughter of a Spanish diplomat assassinated during the dictatorship. "The courts and four government of the Concertacion [Chile's ruling left-wing coalition] were not able to condemn Pinochet.
It is ironic that he also died on the International Day for Human Rights. "This day is bittersweet because we weren't able to make him spend a single day in jail," lamented Ximena Muñoz, a human rights activist for an association for Chile's disappeared.
"Still, he's been judged by the public and that will go down in history, so today he is dead and you see today that it's a carnival for Chile's people. The dictator has died. Now we must forge ahead to try the rest of the assassins and torturers of his era."
--END--

Remember the desaparecidos.

1 comment:

puebloppd said...

LA MUERTE DEL DICTADOR
Por Valeria Bustos

Vengo llegando de las afueras de La Moneda,
(temprano estuvimos en Plaza Italia)
la emoción me embarga,
eramos miles de chilenos festejando,
con cantos , consignas, bailes, abrazos, champaña,
cervezas, challas y globos...

El Pueblo en su conjunto celebrando la muerte de Pinochet.
rostros alegres, niños, mujeres, ancianos, punks,
los del Colo y la Chile,artesas y cuicos, universitarios y obreros
madres de Detenidos Desaparecidos
con sus fotos prendidas al pecho
y sus ojos enrojecidos por las lágrimas de felicidad.
Tanta rabia contenida por mas de 30 años,
generación tras generación,
dolor tras dolor, angustias, miedos, esperanzas...

En Chile no hubo Justicia...
espero que exista otra vida
y en ella se juzgue al Tirano que tanto daño nos hizo ,
de una u otra manera, en mayor o menor grado
todos fuimos afectados por la cruel dictadura:
Ejecutados Políticos, Detenidos Desaparecidos,
Presos Políticos, Exonerados, Torturados, Exiliados,
Marginados, Excluidos...Hijos de, Padres de,
Hermanos de, Amigos de, Parejas de...
Millones de chilenos "marcados" por los aparatos represivos,
Millones de chilenos amenazados,
durmiendo a saltos hasta el día de hoy,
Millones de chilenos nacidos en la Cultura del Terror...


Chile es un Pueblo herido que hoy festejaba en el Centro
con banderas Chilenas, Venezolanas, Socialistas,
Comunistas , de La Gran Gladys Marín,
de la histórica Izquierda Cristiana,
Sólo una bandera extrañé...
de "mi querido Pueblo PPD".

Pese a ello tengo la certeza que no eramos pocos los compañeros
que allí sin banderas partidarias
o con banderas chilenas, celebrábamos junto
al Pueblo el principio del resto de nuestras vidas.

Viva Chile,
Viva la Democracia,
Viva el Pueblo Alegre
Cantando en las Anchas Alamedas.