Topic: Augusto Pinochet

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

Who is Spain's Judge Baltasar Garzón? Five key questions answered.

Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzón was found guilty today on charges of illegal wiretapping and abuse of power. Garzón is known as a “super judge” because of the high profile human rights cases he has overseen internationally.
People-powered democratic revolts - do they last?

Analyzing a selection of political revolutions - successful and not - around the globe since World War II

All Content

Outrage flares in Argentina as former dictator breaks silence about 'Dirty War'

Jorge Videla admitted last week that the military regime killed thousands during the late 1970s and early 80s, when he was in power. But many see his confession as justification, not remorse.
Yemen loses a dictator, but not his shadow

Yemen elected a new president this week, but one of the conditions for the vote was complete amnesty for the ousted longtime dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Whether that amnesty will eventually be overturned has implications for Yemen, and other dictators in the region.
Who is Spain's Judge Baltasar Garzón? Five key questions answered.

Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzón was found guilty today on charges of illegal wiretapping and abuse of power. Garzón is known as a “super judge” because of the high profile human rights cases he has overseen internationally.
A bit of newspeak we wish would go away

To say simply that someone 'was disappeared' when he really was abducted, tortured, and killed is to accept the language of the police states that carry out such actions.
Latin America Monitor
Chile textbook controversy: Pinochet's rule now a military 'regime,' not a 'dictatorship'

Chile textbooks will now use the softer term 'regime' to characterize Gen. Pinochet's rule. But revulsion against Pinochet's human rights abuses remains widespread. 
Latin America Monitor
Chile's voter registration reform gives major boost to democracy

Registered voters in Chile have long been required to vote or else be fined – a disincentive for many to register.  But the law has been reformed, potentially adding 5 million Chileans to the voter rolls.
Latin America Monitor
Extradition request threatens to reopen civil war wounds in El Salvador

Nine former military officials are fighting extradition to Spain over the killings of six Jesuits during El Salvador's civil war. Salvadoran opinion is divided over whether to reopen old wounds.
Chilean students taking to streets against 'Pinochet's education'(VIDEO)

Chilean youth have held continuous rallies for two months to protest the country's poor education system, which has not substantially changed since the fall of dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1990.
Latin America Monitor
Trapped Chilean miners to appear on the big screen

Many say the successful rescue of 'Los 33' after their 69-day plight is made for Hollywood, but Chileans are cautious about how their society will be portrayed.
Latin America Monitor
Venezuela unable to determine cause of Bolivar's death

The Latin American hero's body was exhumed by order of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez last year to prove that Bolivar was murdered, but the study was inconclusive.
Chile's student protests could undermine president's approval

The education ministry says 180 schools around the country are on strike as students demand economic and academic accountability.
Arab uprising: What to do with dictators?

Immunity or prosecution for the dictators of Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya? Trends favor prosecution, but it must be justly carried out.
People-powered democratic revolts - do they last?

Analyzing a selection of political revolutions - successful and not - around the globe since World War II
Where have all Latin America's dictators gone?

Latin America's transition to democracy seems well established, with credible elections this year throughout the region. The recent Ecuador uprising underscores how dangers remain.
Thailand has a chance if Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva can stop the killings

Former foreign minister of Thailand weighs in on Thailand's crisis.
Guatemala becomes a model for crime investigation

A United Nations-backed crime investigation team, the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, roots out corrupt police and politicians in what could be a model for the region.
Chile earthquake aftershock hits as new president takes over

The term of newly inaugurated Sebastian Pinera literally began with a jolt, as a Chile earthquake aftershock shook his swearing-in and the Navy issued a tsunami alert.
New Chile earthquake rattles presidential swearing-in

A 7.2-magnitude Chile earthquake rattled the swearing-in ceremony of President Sebastian Piñera, the country's first conservative president in more than 50 years.
Chile earthquake: 'Looters run wild'? Not quite.

News media from around the world have highlighted looting in the wake of the 8.8 Chile earthquake, but how bad is it really? Chileans say things are tense in some areas, but under control.
Piñera won. Will he uphold Chile’s post-Pinochet moral legacy?

Billionaire Sebastián Piñera won the presidency in Sunday’s election. His task is to ensure that his precessors’ commitment to human rights continues.
Global News Blog
Chile presidential election: Why women vote separately from men

In Chile, which goes to the polls again Jan. 17 for a presidential runoff election, women vote in one place and men vote in another.
Argentina's 'disappeared:' Justice at last or reneging on amnesty?

In Argentina, and elsewhere in Latin America, victims of brutal dictatorships are finally getting their day in court. But by trying former officials who were given amnesty, are nations reopening old political wounds?
Chile election: Conservative billionaire wins first round

Sebastian Piñera, a conservative billionaire, won 44 percent of the vote in Chile's election on Sunday, putting the left at risk of losing the helm for the first time since right-wing dictator Augusto Pinochet stepped down nearly 20 years ago.
Chile vote exposes fatigue with ruling center-left alliance

Even though outgoing socialist President Michelle Bachelet enjoys approval ratings of over 70 percent, voters seem to be growing weary of the Concertacion political alliance she represents.
Chile vote is latest sign of region's shift to the center

In recent and upcoming races across Latin America, candidates have dropped a combative left-right discourse, and instead are appealing to a growing ideological center.