More protests greet Pinochet as he takes Senate seat

Scores of people were injured and arrested in anti-Pinochet protests in Santiago

In this story:

• Legislators scuffle at swearing in
• 'It is an embarrassment'
• 'We feared for the general's safety'
• Pinochet votes to cry of 'Assassin!'
• Related stories and sites

March 12, 1998
Web posted at: 12:00 a.m. EST (0500 GMT)

VALPARAISO, Chile (CNN) -- Arms folded, smiling occasionally, former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet began his career as a senator Wednesday while protesters clashed with police outside the Congress building and legislators battled inside.

Pinochet, who retired as army commander-in-chief Tuesday after 24 years, was sworn in as a senator for life along with elected legislators during a tense session in this Pacific port 77 miles west of Santiago.

At the beginning of the Senate session, members of the center-left ruling coalition entered the chamber, holding posters of people who disappeared or were executed during Pinochet's 1973-1990 regime.

CNN's Lucia Newman reports

Many of the pictures bore the words "Where are they?"

Emotions ran so high that congressmen scuffled before the swearing in, while outside 4,000 demonstrators clashed with police, who used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters opposing Pinochet's new line of work.

And in Santiago, about 2,000 students and unionized teachers brought the downtown streets to a temporary halt during a one-day strike and marched on the La Moneda presidential palace in an anti-Pinochet protest.

'It is an embarrassment'

Demonstrators run from a police water cannon

Activists burned an effigy of Pinochet and television footage showed a photographer with a blood-covered face and a woman with a blood-stained white blouse.

Among those injured in Santiago were Gladys Marin, head of the Communist Party, and Sola Sierra, president of a group of relatives of victims of the Pinochet regime. Marin, her head bleeding, said a riot officer gave her a "a brutal blow."

At least 78 people were detained during protests in Santiago and another 130 were arrested in Valparaiso, police reported.

"It is an embarrassment that a person who fought against the people is now in the Senate," said protester Guillermo Pena, 41, a social worker from Valparaiso.

"Pinochet was responsible for crucifying and torturing thousands of our people," said Father Mariano Puga, a priest. "A man who stepped on the face of Jesus Christ cannot be sworn in before God."

Pinochet declared himself president in 1973 after overthrowing Socialist President Salvador Allende in a bloody coup only 19 days after Allende appointed him commander-in-chief of the army. Pinochet shut down Congress, banned political parties and began a witch-hunt for leftists.

At least 3,000 people died or disappeared during his rule, which lasted until 1990. Tens of thousands more fled the country rather than face the military government.

Pinochet retired as commander-in-chief to take his seat-for-life in the Senate, as granted him by the constitution his regime wrote.

'We feared for the general's safety'

Isabel Allende holds a photograph of her father, Salvador Allende, who was killed in a 1973 coup led by Pinochet

Like all Congress members, he has some immunity from prosecution. He is also protected by a 1978 amnesty law and a decree he issued shortly before stepping down that prevents actions by his government's top-ranking officials -- himself included -- from ever being investigated.

Pinochet's usual heavy security detail was not allowed inside the Senate, but several right-wing legislators assumed that job, surrounding him as tensions grew.

One of them, Sen. Julio Lagos, explained later that "we feared for the general's safety."

Senate President Sergio Romero delayed the start of the session for 15 minutes, demanding that senators from the governing coalition remove the pictures of victims of Pinochet's regime from their desks.

Among the legislators was Isabel Allende, daughter of Salvador Allende, who was killed during the coup. Allende has said that giving Pinochet a senate seat is "a shame for Chile."

Socialist Sen. Ricardo Nunez finally announced that he and his colleagues would remove the pictures "with deep pain."

Tempers were so inflamed that rightist congressman Sergio Correa struck his socialist colleague Jorge Soria, forcing another delay before the swearing in could take place.

Pinochet votes to cry of 'Assassin!'

For most of the session, the retired general was stone-faced but occasionally smiled at friends and whispered behind his hand to other senators. However, he expressed confusion about what to do when it came time to cast his vote.

When he did cast his vote, a man watching from the audience shouted "Assassin!" and was taken away by police.

Pinochet could face problems in the Senate. Twenty-four lower house members signed a proposal Wednesday to launch a constitutional challenge against him for making inappropriate political statements as army commander-in-chief.

In addition, 16 legislators presented to Congress Tuesday a bill requesting that the lower house investigate his purchases of properties during his term as commander-in-chief.

As he left the Senate well before the end of the session, again guarded by Lagos, Pinochet refused to comment on the incidents.

But Lagos said Pinochet told him he was happy. "He liked the Senate a lot," Lagos said.

Correspondent Lucia Newman and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related stories:

• Protests mark Pinochet's tearful departure from army - March 10, 1998
• Chile's Pinochet moving from army to Senate - March 9, 1998
• Tapes emerge as evidence against Chile's Pinochet - January 30, 1998

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