Death of Salvador Allende

Death Of Salvador Allende

Salvador Allende, President of Chile, died during the Chilean coup of 1973 by the Chilean Army Commander-in-Chief Augusto Pinochet. Although he reportedly committed suicide shortly after giving a radio speech to the Chilean people, there has been great controversy regarding the circumstances of his death. Allende supporters have always dismissed the military junta's version of events because they believe he was assassinated. Allende's family stands by the official version of events, in which he committed suicide.

In May 2011 Allende's remains were exhumed and analyzed by a team of international experts, which concluded that the former president had shot himself with a rifle. In December 2011 the judge in charge of the investigation affirmed the findings and ruled Allende's death a suicide. On 11 September 2012, 39 years to the day after his death, an appeals court unanimously upheld the previous ruling, officially closing the case.