Lucía Hiriart, widow of dictator Augusto Pinochet (1915-2006), died this Thursday (16), in Lo Barnechea, north of Santiago. At 99 years old, she has gone through a series of hospitalizations in recent years due to respiratory problems, which have complicated in recent weeks.
In a message posted on social media, her granddaughter Karina Pinochet wrote: “[Lúcia] he gave his life to the service of Chileans, and history will know how to value his great work and his work for our beloved country.”
As soon as the news broke, dozens of people headed to Baquedano Square (also called Dignidad) in Santiago to celebrate. The location was the epicenter of the 2019 demonstrations, which led to the convening of the Constituent Assembly now in operation — whose mission is precisely to replace the constitutional text written in Pinochet’s time.
In the late afternoon, horns and shouts of celebration were heard in the central region of the Chilean capital.
Hiriart was considered an informal adviser to her husband, with influence in the regime — having even participated in the decisions that led to the bombing of the palace of La Moneda, seat of the Executive, on September 11, 1973; the action ended with the suicide of Salvador Allende and the beginning of the military regime (1973-1990).
During the period, Hiriart had a room in the government palace and had a direct link with Manuel Contreras, then head of Dina, the dictatorship’s intelligence service. Contreras was at the forefront of the regime’s crackdown, responsible for more than 3,000 disappearances, according to estimates by human rights organizations.
According to his biographer Alejandra Matus, Hiriart was responsible for Pinochet’s betraying Allende’s trust in order to promote himself. “She accepted the death of close people, the torture of family members and even the exile of close people in order to make her husband stand out,” she said in the book “Doña Lucía”.
Hiriart also directed the Cema Chile Foundation, which provides assistance to needy women. In 2005, the organization was accused of corruption, allegedly having illegally received public buildings and funds. He also led other charities and was a recurring figure on television programs.
The death of Pinochet’s widow comes three days before the second round of the presidential elections that will define the successor to President Sebastián Piñera. One of the candidates, José Antonio Kast, celebrates the Pinochetist legacy and, in the campaign, even said that the regime was not a dictatorship.
Both Kast and his rival, the leftist Gabriel Boric, are expected to carry out closing acts for the campaign this Thursday (16).
.
