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CHRONOLOGY - 1988
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AUGUST 30, 1988
The military regime put an end to
exile, allowing thousands to return to Chile. The announcement came
one month before the national plebiscite on the future of the Pinochet
tenure and one day after voter registration rolls were closed. Among the
first to return from exile were Hortensia Bussi and Isabel Allende, widow
and daughter of the late Salvador Allende. However, some 177 exiled
persons were still denied entry to the country at this time. Among them
were political prisoners whose sentences had been commuted for exile as
well as those who had been stripped of Chilean citizenship - as in the
case of former Communist Party senator and writer Volodia Teitelboim,
former Air Force General Sergio Poblete, and former CUT leader Luis
Meseses.
SEPTEMBER 22, 1988
The military government signs the
United Nations Convention Against Torture. Chile declares three
reservations upon signing the accord: that it not be enacted until after
March 11, 1990; that it not be applied retroactively, and its
non-recognition of the UN commission's jurisdiction over its internal
affairs. Spain formally objects to these reservations, saying they are
contrary to the objectives and intention of the international
agreement.
OCTOBER 21, 1988
FPMR commanders Raul Pelligrin and
Cecilia Magni die after an attempted attack on a police station in the
town of Los Quenes. The circumstances of their deaths is unclear; their
bodies are later found in a river.
OCTOBER 5, 1988
Pinochet loses the national
plebiscite, with nearly 55 percent of Chilean voters rejecting his
plan to remain eight more years in power. The victory of the "No" vote
comes despite constant harassment and assaults on campaign volunteers and
leaders as well as attacks on opposition media. The plebiscite results
open the way for a political exit for Pinochet's regime. Within weeks, the
opposition forces choose Patricio Aylwin as their candidate for the coming
year's presidential elections.
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