Santiago de Chile.— On Sunday, September 13, thousands of Chileans marched to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of the coup d'état led by Augusto Pinochet.
For the first time the march passed by La Moneda, Chilean government headquarters, which was bombed on September 11, 1973 by the national armed forces which overthrew the legitimate, socialist government of President Salvador Allende.
“The call for the march was clear: truth and justice now,” stated the President of the Association of Families of the Arrested and Disappeared, Lorena Pizarro, to DPA, adding that more than 40 years after the coup, many of those responsible for the crimes committed under the dictatorship are old and could die before facing justice.
“We are on the verge of seeing almost total impunity, given the lack of political will on the part of the government and all state institutions,” noted Pizarro.
“We need the truth and justice today, because tomorrow the violators of human rights will be dead,” she added.
Sunday’s demonstration ended with an act in front of the Memorial for the Disappeared and Executed in Santiago’s General Cemetery.
Isolated clashes between police and demonstrators were reported in areas surrounding the cemetery.
The police, who used water cannons and tear gas on activists, confirmed that four people were arrested.
