In Chile, unprecedented criticism of the role of the military during the Pinochet dictatorship

The names of the victims of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship displayed on a wall in Santiago, in September 2014 (illustration).

MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

In Chile, the commander-in-chief of the army resigned on Wednesday March 2.

Just before his resignation, General Ricardo Martinez published a report in which he formulates unprecedented criticism of the role of the military in the human rights violations committed under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

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"

 ", this is how Ricardo Martinez qualifies the tortures, executions and enforced disappearances, ordered by

and in which members of the Chilean army took part.

In his 120-page report, the resigning general cites the example of the " 

 ", organized in 1973 by then-general Sergio Arellano.

Arellano had traveled Chile by helicopter and the officers who accompanied him had forced the young officers and non-commissioned officers of the regiments they visited to kill political prisoners.

Thus, writes General Martinez, “ 

 ”.

An unprecedented critique of the role of the army 

According to the resigning commander, such crimes " 

 ".

This harsh criticism of the Chilean army is a first in the country.

It took thirteen years after the end of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship for the army to make the first gestures of reconciliation in 2003. But never before has a written document from the army condemned its role in the crimes of the dictatorship.

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• Chile