Chile launches plan to trace over 1,000 disappeared under Pinochet

AFP | Santiago          

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Chile on Wednesday launched the first-ever government project to determine the fate of more than a thousand people who disappeared during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, who grabbed power in a coup 50 years ago.

Until now, the burden of searching for the 1,162 people who remain unaccounted for decades after the arrival of democracy, has been borne mainly by bereaved loved ones -- with information on the fate of only 307 -- out of an original 1,469 -- found to date.

A major obstacle has been recalcitrance from former soldiers, accused by next-of-kin of having forged a "pact of silence" to keep their crimes hidden.

"Justice has taken too long," President Gabriel Boric said as he announced the search plan at a ceremony at the presidential palace.

"The only way to build a future that is more free and respectful of life and human dignity is to know the whole truth," he said.

The project, dubbed Truth and Justice, will have a dedicated budget and staff, and investigators will be tasked with reconstructing the victims' final days -- from their arrest to their final destination.

The process could lead to reparations for missing people's loved ones.

"No other government has had the political will required," to help the affected families, president of the Association of Relatives of Disappeared Detainees Gaby Rivera said at the ceremony.

During his speech, Boric deplored rightwing opposition parties' absence from the event.

Pinochet ruled Chile until 1990 and died in 2006 without ever being convicted for the crimes committed by his regime, which is believed to have killed some 3,200 leftist activists and other perceived opponents.