Free Republic

WASHINGTON: The White House on Sunday marked the death of former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet by calling his rule a "difficult period" and commending the country for establishing a free society. "Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile represented one of the most difficult periods in that nation's history," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto. "Our thoughts today are with the victims of his reign and their families. We commend the people of Chile for building a society based on freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights." Pinochet terrorized his opponents for 17 years after taking power in...

SANTIAGO, Chile, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Former dictator Augusto Pinochet, who polarized Chile during his brutal 1973-1990 military rule and spent his old age fighting human rights, fraud and corruption charges, died on Sunday at 91 years old. Thousands of Chileans danced in the streets of the capital while others wept outside the military hospital where he died in a sign of how much Pinochet still divides his country. Police used water cannon and tear gas to keep revelers from getting too close to the government palace. Pinochet, a diabetic who had been in frail health for years, had an...

SANTIAGO, Chile - Gen. Augusto Pinochet, who terrorized his opponents for 17 years after taking power in a bloody coup, died Sunday, putting an end to a decade of intensifying efforts to bring him to trial for human rights abuses blamed on his regime. He was 91. Violent clashes broke out between police and Pinochet opponents who threw rocks at cars and set up fire barricades on the city's main avenue. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. Authorities said there were a number of arrests, but no immediate reports of injuries. Hundreds of Pinochet supporters...

Hell has a new employee...Pinochet is dead at 91.