The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
September 11, 2023

Chile Marks 50th Anniversary of U.S.-Backed Military Coup That Overthrew Elected President
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chile is marking the 50th anniversary of the U.S.-backed military coup
that overthrew democratically elected socialist President Salvador
Allende and ushered in a 17-year dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet. On
September 11, 1973, Chilean armed forces bombed and stormed the
presidential palace, beginning a reign of terror that saw thousands of
people killed or forcibly disappeared and tens of thousands tortured. On
Sunday, President Gabriel Boric joined thousands who marched through the
streets of Santiago to demand justice. This is Alicia Lira, president of
the Association of Families of Executed Political Prisoners.

Alicia Lira: "These 50 years, more than the absence of our relatives,
this is an act of homage on the 50th anniversary of the civil-military
coup, and we stress 'civil-military' because civilians have enjoyed
impunity for 50 years."



.