The Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation, which was established after the fall of the Pinochet regime in 1990 to address the atrocities committed in the country during military rule, found 3,428 cases of disappearance, killing, torture and kidnapping of political dissidents. The regime also targeted the wives and children of workers who were arrested. The commission found that the regime targeted labor unions and activities and attempted to control any organized labor in the country. Most of the cases of disappearances and murder committed by government officials were reported to have taken place between 1974 and August 1977 as the regime attempted to consolidate power and eliminate dissent.
Verdad y Reconciliación
Perhaps one of the most important mechanisms for regaining support for the labor movement and moving Chile towards a more consolidated democracy has been the work of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation and other Human Rights organizations, which have worked to promote human rights and encourage remembrance of the victims of the Pinochet regime. The Commission, whose mandate was to “document human rights abuses resulting in death or disappearance during the years of military rule, from September 11, 1973 to March 11, 1990” documented thousands of cases of attacks against workers and their families and preserved the history of the events that occurred during Chile’s darkest hours in hopes that it would promote reconciliation and ultimately democratization. Ultimately, the most effective way workers and activists in Chile can ensure that the rights of all Chileans are respected is to preserve, remember and learn from the past. Today, the Museum of Memory and Human Rights (Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos) honors the memory of the victims of atrocities committed under the Pinochet regime.