Chile peaceful rally to commemorate 1973 coup victims ends in violence

About 3,500 people took to streets in the capital on Sunday in memory of the victims of General Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship from 1973 to 1990.

Violence erupted after a small group of masked men blocked the streets and tried to build barricades around the city’s main cemetery.

Chilean police, however, used water cannons and tear gas in order to disperse the protesters.

Many of the protesters were carrying the photos of their family members who were killed or disappeared during the coup or under Pinochet’s military government.

Pinochet took power in a military coup on September 11, 1973 that ousted the elected socialist president Salvador Allende.

    According to human rights organizations, over 3,000 people, including political opponents, were killed during Pinochet’s military government, while more than 30,000 others were detained and tortured.


The Chilean dictator died in 2006 without being convicted of crimes and human rights abuses during his 17-year-long rule.