Chile arrests 284 in protests condemning Pinochet’s dictatorship

More than 280 individuals were arrested in Chile during protests marking the 53rd anniversary of Augusto Pinochet's coup d'etat, according to the government. This year marked the first time Chile commemorated the era without holding official events, as Pinochet's brutal rule ended in 1990. President Jose Antonio Kast, the nation's first far-right leader since Pinochet's departure in 1990, stated that Chile cannot erase history nor expect its citizens to accept the nation's condemnation by its past.

The dictator's regime was responsible for over 3,200 deaths and disappearances, as well as the torture or imprisonment of thousands more. Demonstrations took place annually to commemorate the September 11, 1973 coup led by Pinochet against the socialist government of Salvador Allende. This week's protests witnessed demonstrators throwing sticks and stones at riot police, who retaliated with tear gas and water cannons.

Authorities apprehended 284 people on Thursday and Friday, an 80% increase from the previous year. Among those arrested were 16 foreign nationals and 31 minors, the public security minister Martin Arrau reported on X.

The majority of violence occurred at Santiago's General Cemetery, the resting place of the Allende family mausoleum, where leftist former president Gabriel Boric participated in the rally. Other protests took place at the presidential La Moneda Palace, where Allende died by suicide, and the National Stadium, which the Pinochet regime utilized as a detention and torture site. No civilian injuries were reported during the incidents.