Augusto Pinochet Biography

Political Leader / President of Chile

Name at birth: Augusto Pinochet Ugarte

Augusto Pinochet is alleged to have caused the kidnapping, death or "disappearance" of more than 3,000 political opponents after he rose to power in Chile in a 1973 coup. A career military man, he overthrew a democratically elected socialist president, Salvador Allende, only months after Allende had named him commander-in-chief. Pinochet is then said to have ruthlessly eliminated remaining Allende supporters, in some cases by giving orders to a squad of assassins known as the "Caravan of Death." Pinochet appointed himself President in 1974; with the approval of a new constitution in a 1980 plebiscite he secured an 8-year elected term. In 1988 voters called for an election to choose a new president. Patricio Aylwin took office in 1990, but Pinochet continued as army commander until 1998. While recovering from back surgery in London that year, he was arrested on a warrant calling for extradition to face charges for the deaths of Spanish nationals under his regime. Through a combination of diplomatic maneuvering and ill health, Pinochet was never tried for those or other charges brought against him. He suffered a heart attack on 3 December 2006 and died a week later.

Extra credit: Pinochet is sometimes referred to by the additional name "Ugarte," from the name of his mother, Avelina Ugarte Martinez.

Other 20th-century political leaders accused of thousands of killings include Idi Amin, Slobodan Milosevic and Pol Pot.