Augusto Pinochet Ugarte

Augusto Pinochet Ugarte , 1915-2006, president and dictator of Chile (1973-90). An army general who served as chief of staff (1972-73) and commander of the army (1973), he led the coup that overthrew socialist president Salvador Allende (Sept., 1973). As head of a four-man military junta, he resorted to mass arrests and was responsible for more than 2,000 political assassinations. He also returned many nationalized businesses and farms to private owners. Though condemned for its brutality, his regime is credited with stimulating economic growth. After losing a plebiscite in 1988, he was succeeded (1989) as president by Patricio Aylwin .

Pinochet remained as commander of the army until 1998, when he was made senator for life, a title that brought with it lifelong immunity from criminal prosecution. On a trip to London that year, he was arrested at the request of the Spanish government on charges including terrorism and murder, stemming from his former regime, and held for possible extradition to Spain. In 1999 a British judge ruled that he should be extradited; nonetheless, Pinochet was subsequently released for health reasons and returned to Chile.

In 2000 he was stripped of his immunity from prosecution, and he was later charged with involvement in kidnappings and murders that occurred after the coup. The Chilean supreme court, however, ultimately ruled that he was not healthy enough to stand trial. Pinochet resigned his senate seat in 2002. New investigations began in 2004, leading to charges of kidnapping and murder and, prompted by revelations of Pinochet's secret offshore bank accounts, tax evasion, and this time the supreme court allowed them to proceed. The tax evasion investigation subsequently extended to the other members of his family. Pinochet died in 2006, however, before ever being tried on any charges.

Pinochet (Ugarte), Augusto (1915– ) Chilean general and statesman, president (1973–89). He led the military coup that overthrew Salvador Allende. Pinochet established a military dictatorship that enforced social control through routine torture and murder. In 1989, he was forced to permit democratic elections and was succeeded as president by Patricio Aylwin in 1990. Pinochet retained command of the armed forces until 1998. In 1998, British authorities arrested him for crimes of genocide and terrorism. In 2000, Pinochet returned to Chile on grounds of illness, only to face censure there. In 2001, a Chilean court ruled that Pinochet was unfit to stand trial.

Pinochet Ugarte, Augusto (b. 25 Nov. 1915). Chilean dictator, 1973–90 A professional soldier who had graduated from the Santiago Military Academy in 1936, he rose to become Commander-in-Chief of Chile's armed forces in September 1973. Eighteen days after his appointment he masterminded a military coup in which President Allende was deposed and killed. Pinochet became President of the Council of Chile (a junta of military officers) and imposed harsh military rule, imprisoning over 100,000 people during the first three years of his rule alone. Many of these were tortured, and thousands disappeared. In 1974 he was proclaimed President of Chile. He pursued liberal economic policies, which reduced unemployment and inflation, but also depressed real wages, so that his free-market policies resulted in a short-lived economic boom at considerable social cost. In 1978 he organized a plebiscite in which his policies were approved by 75 per cent. A new Constitution in 1980, again endorsed by a plebiscite, gave him authority to be sworn in for another eight years as President. However, during the 1980s international pressure against his draconian regime grew, most crucially from the USA, with whose help (via the CIA) he had come to power in the first place. In addition, the deterioration of the economy since the 1982 financial crash weakened his authority domestically, so that in 1988 he called another referendum. He lost the gamble, however, as 55 per cent voted against his stay in power. He accepted the verdict and stood down in 1990. On a visit to England for medical treatment in 1998, he was arrested and put under house arrest. In a landmark ruling, the House of Lords pronounced that he could be prosecuted for former crimes against humanity, but the British Home Secretary decided that Pinochet was unfit for trial and should be released. Back in Chile from 2000, he was stripped of his immunity the same year. Thereafter he was repeatedly put under house arrest while being charged with crimes against humanity by prosecutors in Chile and elsewhere around the world. In 2001 a court ruled that Pinochet was unfit to stand trial.