Augusto Pinochet

This Year Marks the 50th Anniversary of a Dark Episode in the History of Sports Stadiums

by Matthew Kastel

As Americans return to stadiums with hope and joy at baseball's Opening Day, it's worth remembering that stadiums have been the sites of absurd moments of political theater and dire human rights abuses. 

Who Poisoned Pablo Neruda?

by Ariel Dorfman

"In retrospect I wonder if perhaps I was so tired of tales of torture and disappearances, so full of death and grief, that I could not deal with one more affront. I preferred to shield the sacred figure of Neruda from the violence."

Forensic Experts: Chilean Poet and Pinochet Opponent Pablo Neruda Killed by Poison in 1973

The poet, a Communist and ally of democratically-elected President Salvador Allende, died shortly after the coup that installed General Augusto Pinochet as dictator. There had been longstanding suspicion of the official explanation of his death. 

"Time We Can't Get Back": Chilean Adoptees Uncover Their Past

Chile's right-wing dictatorship took hundreds – possibly thousands – of infants from their families and concealed the facts of their birth from them. 

I Danced in the Streets after Allende’s Victory in Chile 50 Years Ago. Now I See its Lessons for Today

by Ariel Dorfman

The Chilean author Ariel Dorfman warns that while his country elected a democratic socialist in a landmark election, it was unprepared to deal with violent and ruthless efforts to maintain the status quo. Joe Biden is no socialist, but if he wins, his administration and Americans at large must be similarly prepared.