PBS America: Monday 11 September at 20:30

Augusto Pinochet: The Coup, The Torture & The West

Half a century ago, a coup saw General Augusto Pinochet seize power in Chile, his military junta having toppled the democratically elected left-wing government of Salvador Allende.

Ruthless toward political opponents, Pinochet maintained his grip on the country through the use of terror, imprisonment and torture – while, out in the wider world, democracies including the United Kingdom and the United States chose to look the other way.

With the aid of archive footage, expert analysis, personal accounts of torture and declassified gov- ernment files, this sobering documentary exam- ines Pinochet’s path to power. Also revealed is the shocking extent to which his brutal regime would benefit from overseas enablers, key players on the international stage who regarded his dictator- ship as expedient.