2023-09-11
September 11th 2023 is the 50th anniversary of the military coup that brought dictator Augusto Pinochet to power in Chile.
In recognition of the anniversary, the Australian Greens will launch a number of parliamentary actions in solidarity with the Chilean-Australian community.
The actions call for acknowledgment and disclosure of Australia’s involvement in the Pinochet Coup.
Quotes attributed to Senator Jordon Steele-John, Greens spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Peace:
“The Chilean-Australian community have been campaigning for years to have the Australian government acknowledge its role in installing a military dictator in Chile 50 years ago today.
“Today is a dark day for the Chilean community. Under the Pinochet regime, thousands died, tens of thousands were tortured and hundreds of thousands were exiled.
“50 years on we know Australia was involved, as it worked to support the US national interest. To this day, Australia’s secretive and unaccountable national security apparatus has blocked the release of information and has denied closure for thousands of Chilean-Australian's.
“The Greens are calling on the Australian government to apologise to the Chilean people, declassify any documents relating to ASIS and ASIO support for the Pinochet regime, and implement oversight and reform to our intelligence agencies to ensure this can never happen again.”
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