Catholic Church leaders asked Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on Wednesday to pardon military officers jailed for dictatorship-era crimes, angering rights groups and stirring memories of General Augusto Pinochet’s bloody rule.
The pardon request, which has been criticized by the opposition, is proving a political headache for the conservative Pinera. His brother was a government minister under Pinochet.
Self-made billionaire Pinera has tried to distance himself from the dictator’s legacy but said he will consider the pardon, which is part of the Church’s call for clemency to mark the country’s upcoming bicentennial celebrations.
The request includes military officers convicted of human rights abuses under Pinochet as well as criminals jailed for other crimes.
“We’re not seeking to reopen the wounds of the past, nor close them completely. We’re simply showing authorities the pain of those deprived of their freedom, who have been tried and have served most of their sentences,” said Monsignor Alejandro Goic, head of Chile’s bishops’ conference.
Chile’s opposition, which ruled for 20 years after Pinochet left power in 1990, joined protests against the pardon from human rights activists and relatives of leftist dissidents kidnapped and killed during the dictatorship.
Protesters holding black-and-white photos of their missing relatives stood outside the presidential palace to demand Pinera strike down the proposal.
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