Many Chileans will mark Sept. 11 with somber ceremonies, not because of the terrorist attacks that struck the United States in 2001, but because it is the 40th anniversary of the military coup that brought vicious dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet to power, according to the Associated Press.
On this day 40 years ago the democratically elected socialist leader Salvador Allende was overthrown by the military led by Pinochet. The coup began in Valparaiso, the birthplace of Pinochet, and by the afternoon Allende was trapped in the presidential palace surrounded by soldiers. Allende ended up committing suicide instead of surrendering, according to Fox News.
A memorial service was led by current President Sebastian Pinera at the same La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, according to the Associated Press.
"After 40 years, the time has come not to forget but rather to overcome the traumas of the past," Pinera said. "The end never justifies the means. Human rights of all must be defended by all."
Allende was democratically elected but only by 36 percent of the vote, according to Time. His inability to carry a majority of the public led to political instability around the time of the coup. Carlos Reyes-Manzo, who worked for the Allende government and was detained and tortured under Pinochet, told CNN about his experience in the coup.
"We never expected it would happen so quickly, and in such a way," Reyes-Manzo said. "[The Socialist Party Headquarters] was quite near to the presidential palace, and on my way I saw bodies in the street. The military immediately started shooting and killing people...And very soon they put fire to the Socialist Party headquarters. That was the day, there was just shooting everywhere and killing everywhere."
Pinochet died in 2006 under house arrest despite never being tried for the human rights violations that occurred under his rule. The Chilean government estimates that over 3,000 people were killed while Pinochet was in power, according to the Associated Press.
"Forty years after, [Allende] is mentioned more than ever by the young people who flood the streets asking for free, quality education," Sen. Isabel Allende, Salvador Allende's daughter, told the Associated Press. "Allende's profile keeps on growing while Pinochet is discredited."
