General Augusto Pinochet, who ruled Chile as a [anti-communist] dictator for 17 years, is dead.
He led the military coup that overthrew Chile's elected socialist [communist] president, Salvador
Allende, in 1973. He was ruthless in eliminating his political opponents in Chile, and ultimately was
held responsible for the torture and deaths of thousands of people [...] Pinochet -- hero to some,
villain to others-- became yet another thing: a test case in international law.
"He... will forever be remembered as the man who inaugurated a new leap in the concept of
human rights, which is: Heads of states do not have impunity for those things they have done in
crimes against humanity. Humanity can judge them for what they did against us all," Dorfman says.
In the end, the British government concluded that Pinochet was medically unfit to stand trial
and allowed him to return to Chile. But he had lost his swagger. Shortly after his return, a Chilean
court stripped Pinochet of the immunity he'd enjoyed as a member of the Chilean Senate.
A Chilean investigative judge indicted him for his role in the kidnapping and execution of
political prisoners in 1973. It was only his poor medical condition that allowed Pinochet to avoid a trial
in his native land. [Augusto Pinochet died on December 10th, 2006 from a heart attack. At the time
of his death, Pinochet was under indictment in three cases stemming from the massive human rights
abuses during his long reign, and for tax evasion. Although his final years where a constant battle in
court, he was never sentenced.]. -Augusto Pinochet: Villain to Some, Hero to Others, NPR, 2006.
1. Which event most directly led to the rise of General Augusto Pinochet as the ruler of Chile?
(1) French Revolution
(2) World War I
(3) Cold War
(4) Breakup of Yugoslavia