At 11:52 this Monday (11), in a ceremony with heads of state and thousands of Chileans, the Palácio de la Moneda was completely silent for a minute.
At this time, exactly 50 years ago, the building had been bombed, starting the Chilean military dictatorship (1973-1990), which left more than 3,000 victims.
The ceremony was marked by emotion, with testimonies from victims, from Isabel Allende, senator and daughter of the then president Salvador Allende, who died at the time, and from other references in the fight for human rights, such as Argentine Estela de Carlotto, president of the Association of Grandparents of Plaza de Mayo.
Present were the leaders of Colombia (Gustavo Petro), Mexico (Andrés Manuel López Obrador), Uruguay (Luis Lacalle Pou), Bolivia (Luis Arce), former representatives such as Felipe González (Spain), Juan Manuel Santos (Colombia) and José Mujica (Uruguay), as well as Chileans Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet. Several countries sent representatives. Ministers Flavio Dino (Justice) and Silvio Almeida (Human Rights) were from Brazil.
Also present from Brazil was a delegation of more than one hundred former Brazilian exiles who sought refuge in the Andean country during the Brazilian dictatorship (1964-1985).
“I was imprisoned for five years in Chile, then I spent 20 years in exile in the USA, for me Allende was everything, and then, only suffering. It’s a thrill to be here today,” said José Espina, 70, who was placing flowers in front of the side door of the Palacio de la Moneda through which the body of Salvador Allende was removed.
“Of course, we can debate the rights and wrongs of Unidad Popular (Allende’s party), but we can never justify or allow the end of democracy and the abuse of human rights”, said Allende’s daughter through tears that moved the public.
In his speech, President Gabriel Boric stated: “Democracy is not guaranteed, and it is the duty of democracy to be attentive to the well-being of the population. To take care of the environment, women, the environment. This is taking care of democracy.”
Born 13 years after the coup, Boric asked the new generations to pay attention to what was experienced during that period. “It is our generation that must carry this memory and this task forward.” He reinforced that the only way to achieve reconciliation in a divided country is through dialogue and democracy. “It is very important to emphasize that you cannot separate the coup from what happened afterwards. Nothing positive can be born in a country if it is founded on human rights abuse.”
On social media, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) declared: “More than remembering the 50th anniversary of the military coup in Chile and the death of Salvador Allende, today is the day to reaffirm democracy as an essential value for human beings . That without it, what makes us human disappears.”
While Boric spoke, organized groups of former prisoners from different torture centers passed by La Moneda, with photos of their dead comrades.
The opposition remained cautious. The majority were not present and did not want to sign a common document proposed by Boric committing themselves to the defense of democracy and the rejection of human rights abuses.
The main right-wing party, the UDI, issued a statement repudiating the acts of state violence, but emphasizing that the coup would be inevitable given the “degradation of the social and economic situation”.
The night before also had moments of emotion and tension. The La Moneda Palace was embraced by women dressed in black and with candles remembering the victims. Shortly before, anti-government protesters tried to attack the so-called Allende gate, but the carabineros (Chilean police) acted, using tear gas and diluting the demonstration.
