Posted on 11/25/2006 7:11:52 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SANTIAGO DE CHILE - Gen. Augusto Pinochet took full responsibility for the first time Saturday for the actions of his 1973-90 dictatorship, which carried out thousands of political killings and is blamed for widespread torture and illegal imprisonment.
At a celebration of his 91st birthday, Pinochet also defended the bloody military coup that toppled freely elected Marxist President Salvador Allende, in a statement read aloud by his wife as he sat by her side.
"Today, near the end of my days, I want to say that I harbor no rancor against anybody, that I love my fatherland above all and that I take political responsibility for everything that was done which had no other goal than making Chile greater and avoiding its disintegration," he said.
"I assume full political responsibility for what happened."
Pinochet, surrounded by family, bodyguards and retired generals outside his home, raised his hand to acknowledge about 200 supporters gathered outside who sang him "Happy Birthday" and chanted "Long live Chile! Long live Pinochet!" A mariachi band played one of his favorite songs. After about a half-hour, he slowly stood and walked inside supported by a cane and the arm of a bodyguard.
According to an official report, 3,197 people were killed for political reasons under Pinochet, including more than 1,000 who were made to disappear. Thousands more were illegally imprisoned, tortured or forced into exile.
Pinochet rarely speaks in public and has not made such extensive comments for several years.
Ricardo Israel, a political scientist at the University of Chile, said Pinochet has never taken full responsibility for his regime's actions, instead blaming abuses on subordinates.
"But I think it's too late," Israel told The Associated Press. "He should have done it while he was in power, or when he remained as army commander after stepping down. Things would have been different."
In his statement, Pinochet claimed the military had to act against Allende's government because the social and political convulsions at the time were threatening the country's integrity.
He also sent "a message of support to my comrades in arms, many of whom are imprisoned, suffering persecution and revenge," in a clear reference to the scores of trials of military officers for rights abuses.
"It is not fair to demand punishment for those who prevented the continuation and worsening of the worse political and economic crisis than one can remember," he added.
Pinochet is currently under indictment in two human rights abuse cases and for tax evasion, and has scores of others criminal suits pending, filed by victims of abuses or their relatives. Until now, the courts have dropped the charges against him citing his poor health.
He spoke of his own legal problems in the statement, and indicated that he accepted the prosecutions as a necessary part of the process of national healing.
"All the vexations, persecutions and injustices affecting me and my family, I gladly offer for the sake of harmony and peace that must prevail among Chileans," Pinochet said.
He defended his 1973 coup and the military regime, saying it left "a vigorous, modern, admired country."
"I am absolutely certain that tomorrow, once the political passions and resentments are ended, history will judge our work objectively and will recognize that we put Chile on top of the nations in our continent."
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Former Chilean leader Augusto Pinochet (R) and his wife Lucia Hiriart de Pinochet (L) wave to supporters in his home in the La Dehesa neighbourhood in Santiago November 25, 2006. Pinochet will celebrate his 91st birthday on Saturday surrounded by friends and relatives. REUTERS/Victor Ruiz Caballero(CHILE)
Until now, the courts have dropped the charges against him citing his poor health.
He gets away with murder since he's too sick to kill.
Pinochet is a hero who did what he had to to rid his country of Allende and his commie thugs. Viva tu, mi genaral.
The same people who constantly decry Pinochet are busy licking Castro's butt. I'll worry about Pinochet after they try and execute Castro.
Eh... no.
Allende :spit: election was disputed and he was allowed to take office only under a certain set of condition laid out by the Chilean Legislature.
He agreed and then violated his oath.
"Mi general" - how cute.
Going beyond that is the fact that some of the death toll did not happen during the time in power but during the "Civil Emergency" itself, which isn't far from an insurrection circumstance.
Meanwhile, I've never seen Mugabe or Castro or countless others fear prosecution going to another country and even FORMER dictators don't seem to find themselves anything but SANCTUARY in Europe or the 'civilized' world that seems so outraged by Pinochet.
You can always tell a Leftist because the only dictators they complain about are 'right-wing' ones.
Not a small number for a small country.
But double it and it is still a piker’s score compared to a communist regime.
I am not an apologist for Dictators, but put in perspective Chile may be better off for Pinochet’s deposing Allende. It is impossible to say that things would or would not have been worse under a Marxist, but tide of history points to things being much worse had a Marxist Allende stayed in power.
This is not to say that Pinochet should not face justice, he should. However the courts of Chile have decided otherwise.
One might wish a similar fate for Venezuela today.
I would like to see Garzon go after Mugabe, Castro and other dictators but it will be a cold day in he!! before that happens.
He killed 3,197? If he had not acted the Marxists' butcher bill probably would have been over 100,000. And would no doubt have included many of the Chileans who now denounce him.
Franco and Pinochet saved their respective countries from a far worse fate. And earned the undying hatred of the Marxists for their reward.
The real fault is with their countrymen, who allowed the situation to deteriorate to the point where no other solution is possible.
Remember that the various reports of illegal imprisonment and execution of people were compiled largely by left wing liberals -- the same folks that claim our terrorist holding facility in Guantanamo Bay is illegally imprisoning people. If you look back at what was actually happening in Chile during Pinochet's rule you will see a very different situation than what the liberal press reported then and their fellow travelers have accepted as gospel today.
There was a lot of leftist terrorism - bombings, shootouts, etc. happening on an ongoing basis. In the context of a fight against armed revolutionaries running rampant in the country the actions of the government of Chile are not as bad as they are portrayed today, and they were supported by many, and perhaps a large majority of Chileans at the time.
The left always tries to redefine history so that any actions taken against are "crimes against humanity" while whatever they did to create the response is hidden. Kind of like how the Palestinians complain about being attacked by Israel but conveniently forget to mention that they only get attacked in response to their own attacks.
I suppose you would file attemped murder charges against the military officers that tried to kill Hitler!
Its impossible to "murder" a Communist, since the Natural Law tells us it is the right of any normal man to do away with people who are Communists, since Communists wish to expropriate and enslave all of humanity, killing everyone who resists or is of an impure class background. At no times have Communists, once they have gained mastery of a country, not taken to total expropriation of all private property and the indiscriminate murder of a large portion of the populace. Murder is contrary to the Natural Law, but to kill a Communist is to conform society more closely to the Natural Law, since an enemy of civil society is thus eliminated. (No, this arguement won't get you very far in certain "law" courts, but in the eyes of God, there is nothing wrong with killing a Communist.)
And are you really serious in claiming that the Head of State of a country, and the Head of its Armed Forces may not kill the internal enemies of a country who are attempting a civil war to lead to a Soviet style state?
Then you don't really support getting rid of Communism. A Communist, by definition and personal mental state, is the enemy of all men. At any moment, if given the power to do so, he is likely to kill one, some, or many innocent people. The history of Communism is filled with a long train of murders of the enemies of Communism, innocent bystanders, and even fellow Communists, civil insurrections and disturbances, and total national conflagrations.
Its impossible to "illegally" execute or detain a Communist. Such a situation does not exist except through a misinterpretation of the Law, since an ememy of mankind does not enjoy a "right" to his own life, nor does he have a "right" to liberty. A Communist is by definition of who he is an Outlaw, and has all the rights of an Outlaw with a "Wanted: Dead or Alive" poster - that is to say, no rights at all.
CASTRO Y PINOCHET
James R. Whelan
Martes, 9 de mayo de 2000
Cuando Fidel Castro hizo su entrada triunfal en La Habana, el 8 de enero de 1959, Cuba era uno de los países más prósperos del mundo. Cuando Augusto Pinochet y sus colegas militares depusieron al marxista-leninista Salvador Allende, el 11 de septiembre de 1973, encontraron un país al borde del colapso económico. Lo que desde entonces ha sucedido en ambos países es imposible tapar con el dedo.
Castro gobierna una nación donde prácticamente todo está racionado, un país que Freedom House clasifica como "estado policial de un solo partido" y “sin libertad” por 40 años, caso único en nuestro hemisferio.
Por el contrario, Chile figura entre los países "libres" según Freedom House, desde que Pinochet, derrotado en un plebiscito entregó voluntariamente el poder. Pero Castro es adulado y tratado con respeto por dirigentes políticos y periodistas en todas partes del mundo. El más vergonzoso y reciente ejemplo lo dio Janet Reno, Procuradora General de Estados Unidos, postrándose ante Fidel Castro en el caso del niño Elián González.
En cambio, Pinochet es perseguido y vilipendiado por una amplia gama de observadores y analistas. La misma Janet Reno aportó los formidables recursos de su Departamento de Justicia al flagelo "legal" de Pinochet.
El contraste del muy distinto trato recibido por estos dos líderes latinoamericanos parece provenir de las páginas del libro de George Orwell, "1984", donde encontramos términos como "nuevohablar" (blanco es negro, arriba es abajo) y "doblepensar" (creer en dos ideas contradictorias a la vez). Se trata, ni más ni menos, del triunfo orwelliano de la propaganda política impulsada por la izquierda internacional y del conveniente olvido de los hechos por quienes tienen la obligación de reportarlos.
Poco antes de irrumpir Castro en el poder, el ingreso per capita de los cubanos se aproximaba al de los italianos. Cuba figuraba en el lugar 22 entre las –entonces- 122 naciones del mundo en términos de desarrollo. Más de 12 mil italianos esperaban visas para emigrar a esa isla de oportunidades. Y los indicadores sociales avanzaban paralelamente: el alfabetismo se ubicaba en 80 por ciento, una cifra bastante alta para aquellos tiempos.
Cuba tenía más médicos y dentistas per capita que Holanda, Francia, el Reino Unido y Finlandia. Los cubanos gozaban de las tasas más bajas de mortalidad infantil y las más altas de longevidad de los países latinoamericanos. En 1959, los cubanos tenían ingresos similares a los puertorriqueños, mientras que hoy ganan menos de una décima parte.
Durante años, Castro pudo esconder su incompetencia detrás de las asombrosas subvenciones soviéticas. La historiadora rusa Irina Zorina calcula que la URSS le regaló a Castro cien mil millones de dólares, es decir, cuatro veces el total del Plan Marshall, y tres veces la ayuda recibida por toda la América Latina bajo la Alianza para el Progreso.
Cuando Rusia suspendió su ayuda económica en 1992, la economía cubana se contrajo violentamente, perdiendo 50% de su capacidad productiva y 80% de sus industrias se vieron obligadas a cerrar.
La mejor prueba del inmenso fracaso de Castro es que en ningún consulado cubano alrededor del mundo hay gente haciendo cola para emigrar a Cuba. Por el contrario, más de 1,5 millones de cubanos han huido de la isla, la mayoría de ellos arriesgando sus vidas y abandonando lo que tenían.
El caso Pinochet difícilmente podría ser más diferente. El ex presidente chileno, Eduardo Frei Montalva, sintetizó la situación del país en vísperas de la Revolución de 1973: "Chile está hundido en un desastre economico, no una crisis, sino una verdadera catástrofe... peor que la inflacion, la escasez, la violencia es el odio. Hay angustia en Chile..."
El mismo Allende, a pocos días de su caída, anunció que quedaba pan sólo para cuatro días. La inflación galopaba fuera de control, acercándose a mil por ciento. Un país, antes orgulloso, se había degenerado en un verdadero infierno socialista.
A partir de 1973, el régimen militar chileno tuvo que enfrentar boicots, embargos y hostilidad generalizada, no sólo de parte de países comunistas sino de los supuestamente anticomunistas, encabezados por Estados Unidos.
El gobierno de Pinochet transformó lo que era la segunda economía más estatista de América Latina (después de Cuba) en la más libre y próspera. Sin embargo, en la prensa mundial Pinochet aparece como el villano y a Castro siempre se le da el beneficio de la duda. ¿Dónde está el George Orwell de nuestra generación capaz de desenmascarar tanta hipocresía?
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