In the spotlight: death in Chile of Lucía Hiriart, the wife of dictator Augusto Pinochet
Lucía Hiriart, after a mass marking the first anniversary of Pinochet's death in Santiago, December 10, 2007. © AP / Roberto Candia
Text by: Christophe Paget Follow
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"
The death of the widow of Augusto Pinochet Ugarte at the age of 99
", it is on the front page of
La Tercera
. She was "
a key figure in his regime
", adds
Atacama
, "
the daughter of an elder radical minister, who has become the support of her husband in power
”.
Lucía Hiriart, explains
Emol
, died "
at her home, after a year marked by various health problems which led her to be admitted several times to the military hospital.
".
The online newspaper publishes several photos of the demonstrations of joy that accompanied the announcement of his death in Santiago: photos of Chileans gathered in Plaza Italia smiling, dancing, drinking and waving the country's flag.
Lucía Hiriart, a figure of the dictatorship
Born in 1922, she met Augusto Pinochet in 1942 and married him in 1943, despite the opposition of her parents, recalls
La Tercera
: they "
felt that Pinochet, a middle-class soldier, was not" at the level " of Lucía
”.
El Día
considers that she was "
one of the people at the origin of the coup d'état of September 11, 1973, she was also decisive in the take by Pinochet of the chief command of the army
".
Lucía Hiriart then begins to appear in the media “
to highlight her husband
”.
"
His words were very controversial, and denounced by the opposition,
" said
La Tercera
.
El Día
reproduces some of them, among others “
if I were head of government, I would be much harsher than my husband
”.
The newspaper recalls that, for years, she had been implicated in several cases: among others that of the CEMA Chile foundation, which she chaired for more than 40 years, finally implicated, recalls
La Tercera
, for the many millions. received through the sale of property that the state had given him free of charge.
Contrasting political reactions
Lucía Hiriart "
was without a doubt one of the most important people of the 20th century for Chile
", according to the UDI, a conservative party allied with Pinochet during the dictatorship. On the contrary, for the Socialist Party, his death "
brings us back to the darkest time of our country, and rekindles the pain of all the victims of the Pinochet dictatorship
". These two reactions can be read in
La Tercera
, where
the socialist candidate Gabriel Boric
believes that she "
died with impunity, despite the deep pain and division she caused our country
". Antonio Kast, the far-right candidate, who,
the newspaper
recalls
, “
is a staunch defender of the military regime and its heritage
”, announced that he would not go to the funeral of the former First Lady:“
I do not want to politicize them
”.
A funeral that will be private anyway, and "
no public ceremony is planned,
" writes
Emol
.
In Haiti, release of the last twelve North American hostages
The 400 Mawoso gang had held them back for two months.
"
The ex-hostages were spotted in Morne à Cabrit, early this Thursday, by members of the population who had alerted law enforcement officials,
" said
Le National
.
A US official interviewed by US media
CNN said
a ransom was paid, but not by the US government.
AlterPress
emphasizes that "
acts of kidnapping persist in Haiti, especially in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince
".
The newspaper recalls that a movement was organized last Tuesday "
by students of the Faculty of Sciences of the State University of Haiti to demand the unconditional release
»Of a professor and his wife, kidnapped the day before.
The major burns in Haiti
The death toll from the tanker explosion in Cap-Haitien rose to 75.
And
Le Nouvelliste
publishes the testimonies of three burn victims, at the hospital of the State University of Haiti.
Two did not survive.
"
I can hardly open my eyes
," explained one of the victims, only the palms of her hand and part of her foot were still intact.
Ayibopost
protests: "
the incident highlights Haiti's inability to properly deal with serious burns
".
The only specialized entity is at the Médecins sans frontières hospital in Tabarre.
There was indeed another at the hospital of the State University of Haiti, but it was before its partial destruction during the earthquake of 2010. A major burn section is planned once the reconstruction is completed, but she "
skates
", estimates the newspaper.
The "
soup joumou
" of Haiti classified intangible heritage of humanity by Unesco
This candidacy, notes
Rezo Nodwès
, "
scheduled for 2022, was exceptionally included at the last minute this year
": "
While Haiti is facing countless challenges, the country's authorities wanted to make a registration that would help revive national pride
”, underlines the Director General of Unesco, Audrey Azoulay.
Le Nouvelliste
speaks of a "
real surge of solidarity on the part of Unesco's ambassadors towards Haiti
": "
They jostled each other in the interventions to support the candidacy of" soup joumou ", giraumon soup in French
". After the adoption, "
ambassadors marched to the office of the representative of Haiti at Unesco in Paris to taste the soup,
”notes
Le Nouvelliste
, who notices that the Tunisian ambassador has taken it twice ...
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