Augusto Pinochet (Pinochet Augusto)

(p. 1915)
Born November 25, 1915 in Valparaiso. He was educated at the military academy in Santiago. Advance on the stairs of a military career, was appointed a brigadier general during the reign of Eduardo Frei Montalvo. When President Allende became the commander of the garrison city of Santiago, and in 1973 he was appointed commander of the Army.
In September 1973, participated in the overthrow of Allende, after the assassination of the latter took over as president and head of state. Tens of thousands of Allende supporters were shot, the Pinochet regime has repeatedly condemned the UN and human rights organizations for the use of torture against detainees. In 1980 through a referendum, which took place under the control of the junta, Pinochet was able to change the relevant article of the constitution and extended his stay in power for another eight years. After a decline in demand for copper on the world market and economic situation in the country has deteriorated. In 1986, Pinochet was assassinated, after which Chile was declared a state of siege.

Under pressure from outside and from his own aides in the late 1980's began to reform the democratic nature. In a plebiscite in October 1988 he was denied the right to extend the term of the presidency after his graduation in March 1990. In December 1989 the opposition leader Patricio Aylwin was elected president after winning elections in the Pinochet henchman. Pinochet himself remained in power until March 11, 1998 and stop attempts to investigate war crimes. After resigning as commander of the Pinochet was appointed a life member of the Senate.

In October 1998, Pinochet was arrested in London at the request of Spanish authorities who had accused him of genocide, terrorism and killing of Spanish citizens, citizens of Chile and other countries. A London court agreed to extradite him, but in March 2000, Interior Minister Jack Straw said he would not allow the extradition of any of the countries requiring his extradition. Pinochet was released from house arrest and returned to Chile, where the Court of Appeal in June 2000 deprived him of his immunity as a senator for life. February 1, 2001 he was arrested and placed under house arrest, but already in April 2001 released by the court.