The victims of the Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile (1973-1990): scale of repression, regime’s methods and historical background of crimes
Author(s): Karolina Baraniak
Authors Affiliations:
independent researcher, Poland
DOIs:10.2017/IJRCS/202609002 | Paper ID: IJRCS202609002This article presents a concise analysis of political repression and human rights violations in Chile during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973–1990). The study is grounded in the findings of the Rettig Commission, the Valech Commission, and subsequent institutions responsible for the qualification of victims. According to the data cited in the article, the total number of recognized victims of the regime reached 40,175 individuals. These included victims of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and political prisoners subjected to torture. Repression assumed various forms: mass and selective arrests, extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, physical and psychological torture, sexual violence, deportations, and long-term administrative control. Security apparatuses played a crucial role—most notably the DINA and its successor, the CNI—operating in cooperation with the armed forces, Carabineros, and other intelligence agencies. The analysis also accounts for the Cold War context and growing political polarization, while emphasizing that acts of violence committed by certain opposition organizations cannot obscure state responsibility for systemic repression. Furthermore, the article highlights the transnational nature of select state operations and underscores the importance of truth commissions in documenting crimes, restoring the identity of victims, and constructing historical memory
Karolina Baraniak (2026); The victims of the Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile (1973–1990): scale of repression, regime’s methods, and historical background of crimes, International Journal of Research Culture Society, ISSN(O): 2456-6683, Volume – 10, Issue – 9, Available on – https://ijrcs.org/
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