Criminal investigation over death of former chilean president

Former chilean president Eduardo Frei Montalva was founded death on January, the 22nd, 1982. That was a little over a year before I was born and shortly after a year from the enactment of the new chilean constitution of 1980, written and aproved by the dictatorship.

Eduardo Frei Montalva has been one of our main political figures. A lawyer by formation but a politician by vocation, he always work at all levels for promotion of what he thought was the correct direction of Chile. He was one of the founders, if not the most salient, of the Christian Democratic Party, a key party in explaning chilean politics throughout the second half of the 20th century. He was a senator, minister and President of Chile, between 1964 and 1970. A great deal of important policies were initiated during this term in office, including what was called the "chileanization" of cupper mines, meaning the return to state property of this natural resources, thought most of them continue to be managed by private companies (until the Allende government that nationalized this companies), the first serious attempt to make a land reform, educational and health reforms, the enactment of a number of constitutional transformation and many other important political, legal and social transformation. However, in my opinion, the reason former president Frei Montalva is widely remembered and appreciated has to be found on his human and personal charisma. He was a very honest, extremely smart but accesible politician.

Last week saw what could be a major development in chilean history. A chilean judge released an indictment against several people charged with the killer of Frei Montalva. The causes of his death were from the very begining very dubious, but now there seems to be firm basis to claim that he was murder and his murder was related somehow to the Pinochet´s dictatorship, thought this point might never be completly clarified.

Here you can find more information about the judicial procedure for the assessination of Frei Montalva and its implications.