Chile arrests 284 in protests condemning Pinochet’s dictatorship

SANTIAGO: Over 280 individuals were apprehended in Chile during demonstrations marking the 53rd anniversary of the Augusto Pinochet coup d'état, according to the government's announcement on Saturday. This year marked the first time since the end of Pinochet's oppressive rule (1973-1990) that Chile did not organize any official events commemorating this era, which left a profound impact on the nation.

President Jose Antonio Kast, who assumed office in March and is the first far-right leader since Pinochet's departure, lamented that history cannot be erased and that Chile cannot be forced to accept its past as a barrier to the country's future.

Pinochet's regime was responsible for the deaths or disappearances of over 3,200 people, while tens of thousands endured torture or imprisonment. Annually, protests are held to commemorate the September 11, 1973 coup d'état orchestrated by Pinochet against the socialist president, Salvador Allende. This week's demonstrations witnessed protesters hurling sticks and stones at riot police, who retaliated with tear gas and water cannons.

On Thursday and Friday, authorities arrested 284 people, a 80% increase from the previous year, as reported by public security minister Martin Arrau via X. Among those detained were 16 foreigners and 31 minors, Arrau informed.

The demonstrations were particularly intense at Santiago's General Cemetery, which houses the Allende family mausoleum, with leftist former president Gabriel Boric among the participants. Other gatherings occurred at the presidential La Moneda Palace, where Allende took his own life, and at the National Stadium, which served as a site for detention and torture under the Pinochet regime.