Chile Counts Nearly 10,000 More Pinochet Victims

http://www.npr.org/2011/08/18/139767705/chile-counts-nearly-10-000-more-pinochet-victims

Chile officially recognized 9,800 more victims of its dictatorship on Thursday, increasing the total number of people killed, tortured or imprisoned for political reasons to 40,018.

A similar effort in 2004 determined that 27,153 survivors deserve monthly compensation from the government for human rights violations they suffered.

Together with the 3,065 people who were killed by Chile’s military or were simply made to disappear and are presumed dead, the official victim list accepted by President Sebastian Pinera on Thursday totals 40,018.

Survivors of rights violations will get lifetime pensions of about $260 a month. Relatives of those killed receive more than three times that amount. In all, the government will need to increase its compensation to about $123 million a year. Victims also are entitled to health, education and housing benefits.