Chile TV: Secret military report on Allende’s death raises doubts about suicide

[Judi Lynn]

Chile TV: Secret military report on Allende’s death raises doubts about suicide
By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, May 31, 11:34 AM

SANTIAGO DE CHILE — Chile’s state television channel has reported that President Salvador Allende may have been assassinated and not committed suicide during the 1973 coup.

TVN’s “Special Report” program Monday cited a copy of a long-lost, 300-page military summary of Allende’s death.

After reviewing the report, two forensics experts told TVN that they are inclined to conclude that Allende was assassinated. One of the experts later confirmed that opinion with The Associated Press.

TVN said the military document was discovered in a home belonging to a military justice official that was destroyed in last year’s earthquake.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/chile-tv-secret-military-report-on-allendes-death-raises-doubts-about-suicide/2011/05/31/AG1rkTFH_story.html

[rabs]

1. AP story very sketchy

The AP story does not include many of the details.


Below is link to EMOL (El Mercurio online) that I read last night. The documents that were allegedly found in a house of a military officer were said to contain results of an autopsy taken the day Allende died in La Moneda. It said there was evidence of wounds from two different weapons.

(Spanish)

http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=484460

Today, the Allende family was considering legal action against Television Nacional, which is controlled by the Pinera government.

The family's attorney said the TV report was aimed at muddying the ongoing investigation into his death. The family has publicly accepted that Allende committed suicide.

http://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=484689

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This is really a strange development, with government-controlled TV saying that Allende may have been assassinated, and the family angry over the airing of the documents found in a home that was being demolished.

There will be more to come.

[Judi Lynn]

2. It wouldn't have done the family much good to have maintained the assassination view publicly,

would it? Is it possible they would have been more endangered during Pinochet's time?

It's confounding hearing Pinera's government taking that position. Baffling, considering Pinera has been closely associated with Pinochet's bloodthirsty, torture-using regime.

[bemildred]

3. I have never believed for a second that he killed himself.

And I hope they do lay it all out in public, whatever the truth is.

[gbscar]

4. Strange indeed. Thanks for posting those links with additional info (nt).