Rocks, tear gas fly in Chile on Allende Coup anniversary

Tense scenes in the Chilean capital of Santiago on Sunday (September 8) as police used tear gas on protesters at an event commemorating the victims of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

According to Press TV, the protesters set up barricades and threw objects at police. A number of arrests were made but no serious injuries were reported.

September 11 will mark the anniversary of the 1973 coup d'état that toppled the government of leftist Salvador Allende and brought Pinochet to power.

Thousands of people, including the family members of victims, human rights activists and political and civic organizations took part in the event, and marched in the capital.

Augusto Pinochet ruled Chile with an iron fist for 17 years from a 1973 coup until 1990. The dictator died in 2006 without facing full trial on rights abuses during his rule, when more than 3,000 people were killed or disappeared and an estimated 28,000 people were tortured.

ME