When the Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón boarded Madrid this Monday (November 9th) at around 5:50 p.m. from Santiago de Chile, where he took part in the ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the coup, he called back post. The judge who ordered the arrest of General Augusto Pinochet in 1998 admitted that there was no justice in Chile, praised the democratic role of Salvador Allende and warned the world of the danger posed by coups and dictatorships.
Fifty years after the coup in Chile, has there been justice?
If I had to answer generally, I would say without a shadow of a doubt that justice has not been served. Progress has been made and what has remained throughout the years, including during the dictatorship, is the struggle of victims, family organizations, groups and bodies committed to human rights. Thanks to this and from 1998, after Pinochet’s arrest request in London, the judiciary was reactivated that year. However, we haven’t gotten to the bottom of the matter yet. On August 28, the verdict for the murder of Victor Jara (poet, singer and composer) and others was announced. Fifty years later, they use important phrases during this time.
But was there then justice delayed?
The thinking is that late justice is not so much justice. Because in the meantime there was procrastination and neglect. There was also a lack of judicial practice without adequately responding to victims. It is good that this justice has arrived, but it is not enough. There was no necessary and vigorous judicial action. It needs to be produced and completed. Otherwise, even the victims themselves will not demand this justice, as it will be missing over time.
What do you remember about General Pinochet?
For me, a soldier who broke his own military law, who served democracy, the President and the Republic to which he swore allegiance, and did so through a violent coup which was a step towards a regime of Terrorism and politics, persecution, torture, forced disappearances of people that can mean absolutely nothing positive for me. That is why I am so concerned about the demands that some on the far right and on the far right are making on these attitudes and dynamics that are perverting democracy itself and putting it at risk once again. As for my personal assessment, for me a person who is unable to insult and confront the justice system, but hides and uses violence without accepting the consequences, is someone who does not deserve respect.
What lessons can the world learn from the coup in Chile?
The lessons we have all learned from Chile’s civilmilitary coup, dictatorship and later transition are that no military coup ends democracy in the bloody way that it did in this and other cases. For a politicaleconomic elite that seeks agreement and consent, it represents a kind of favor, but under these circumstances it becomes a burden for the general population. In my opinion there will never again be military coups against a democracy. To consolidate democracy, we must always stand up for the defense of democracy, for disagreement within democracy and for dialogue. However, under no circumstances should we stop it and turn our backs on the citizens who are the ones who suffer the consequences. You, Brazilians, know this well, because you have witnessed, in historical and not so historical times, the actions of the extreme right, which do not benefit the population in general.