Chilean Activists Illuminate Collective Trauma from Pinochet’s Regime

Chilean human rights activists Veronica De Negri and Marco Echeverría convened to discuss the lasting trauma from Augusto Pinochet’s regime. They emphasized the importance of acknowledging victims and confronting the past to prevent future oppressive regimes. The panel, moderated by Rosela Millones, highlighted current efforts to locate the many still missing and ensure that the painful memories of the dictatorship are neither forgotten nor repeated.

On Monday, Chilean human rights activists Veronica De Negri and Marco Echeverría convened at the Elliott School of International Affairs to explore the enduring trauma inflicted by Augusto Pinochet’s regime. This discussion highlighted the significance of recognizing the victims and addressing Chile’s troubled history. The panel was hosted by LATAM@GW, focusing on Latin American issues and moderated by Rosela Millones, a researcher specializing in collective memory at the University of Chile.

Pinochet’s overthrow of President Salvador Allende’s democratically elected government on September 11, 1973, marked the beginning of a 17-year era characterized by repression and human rights violations. Thousands of individuals, including innocent bystanders and dissenters, suffered torture, kidnapping, and murder during this oppressive regime. De Negri stated, “What I can tell you is this thing happened. Not as an accident, these things happen by political decision, be very clear about that, always have the government involved.”

Millones elaborated on the lingering effects of Pinochet’s regime on contemporary Chilean society, affirming that the country still grapples with the repercussions of state-sponsored violence. She noted that the societal reluctance to confront this troubled past has resulted in thousands of Chileans, categorized as “disappeared,” remaining unaccounted for, complicating the possibility for justice and closure.

The end of Pinochet’s rule came with a national vote in 1989, leading to a democratically elected president in 1990. Recently, however, efforts have emerged to investigate the past and search for the more than 1,000 individuals still missing. “In 2023 on the 50th anniversary of the coup, a nationwide research plan was launched to find those more than 1000 people who are still being sought by their families,” Millones explained, emphasizing the ongoing pain and collective memory of the dictatorship’s victims.

De Negri recounted a deeply personal experience, sharing the tragic story of her son, Rodrigo, who was arrested and subsequently died from severe burns sustained during an anti-Pinochet demonstration in 1986. Despite the atrocities she and her family faced, she expressed concern that many Chileans are beginning to forget the past. “After I was arrested, and I was arrested with other two women, one of them is dead, and the other is denying everything. But the truth is, I look at her, and I look at me, I feel sorry because she’s still thinking that she was the only one that suffered.”

Furthermore, Echeverría reflected on his activism during the restoration of democracy, mentioning that he was subpoenaed three times yet recognized Chile’s failure to fully address its sordid past due to the desire to move forward. “With the new wave of democracy in Chile, there was a big effort to not remember, to keep moving forward, to not dwell on the past,” he stated through a translator.

Echeverría advocated for the creation of public memorials or sites commemorating the victims as vital steps toward confronting the crimes of the past and ensuring their non-recurrence. De Negri reiterated the critical importance of preserving memories of these tragic events, declaring, “Memory is something that we cannot forget because we have a responsibility in this world… when we forget these things still happening.”

This discussion among Chilean activists serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of confronting historical injustices and preserving the memory of victims of oppressive regimes. The ongoing trauma from the Pinochet regime emphasizes the necessity for continued dialogue, research, and public remembrance to prevent future atrocities and ensure that such histories are never repeated. It is essential for societies to acknowledge their past to foster healing and avoid repeating the mistakes of history.

Original Source: gwhatchet.com