Augusto Pinochet, 1915-2006

David Weigel | December 10, 2006

Former Chilean leader Gen. Augusto Pinochet died today at a hospital in Santiago.

The general entered a Santiago hospital a week ago after a heart attack. He was thought to be recovering when his condition suddenly worsened on Sunday.
...
The hospital said Gen Pinochet passed away at 14:15 local time (1715GMT).
"He died surrounded by his family," the hospital's Dr Juan Ignacio Vergara told reporters.

The next few days are sure to feature some heated debates about Pinochet's reign and his legacy. My contribution is pretty brief: "Finally."

Jesse Walker blogged about Pinochet's influence on KGB thugs back in 2004; Brian Doherty noted his house arrest in 2004.