Four decades after a military coup that brought Augusto Pinochet to power in Chile, a fierce debate over his long rule has shaken up the upcoming presidential election, with some politicians under fire for their past support of the former leader.
Mr Pinochet, who was then the head of the army, toppled the democratically-elected socialist president, Salvador Allende, in a violent coup on September 11, 1973.
He finally gave up power in 1990 and died in 2006, but his legacy has dominated Chile's politics in recent weeks.
Peggy Giakoumelos reports.
The sound of bells ringing in the Chilean capital Santiago marking the 40th anniversary of a military coup that ushered in Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship over the South American country.
Thousands hit the streets of Santiago to remember the thousands who disappeared under the Pinochet's government.
More than two decades on from Chile's return to democracy, there's still almost total silence from military personnel who are believed to have played a role in the disappearances.
President for the Families of Executed Politicians group, Alicia Lira says for many families the pain of not knowing the whereabouts of their loved ones continues.
"Forty years since the civil-military coup, the issue of human rights, the violations during the dictatorship are still current. This denial of justice, there are more than 1,300 processes open, for forty years. For 40 years, continuing the search for those who were arrested, who disappeared, were executed without the remains handed back. Why don't they say the truth? Why don't they break their pact of silence."
Augusto Pinochet, who took power in a 1973 military coup, died in 2006 at the age of 91.
He did not face a full trial for crimes committed during his 1973-1990 rule, when around 3,000 people were kidnapped and presumed killed.
Many thousands of others were held for a time and tortured.
Only a small number of bodies of victims have been discovered in unmarked mass graves in the country, while hundreds of others were dumped out in the Pacific Ocean.
President Sebastian Pinera, whose opposition to the rule of Mr Pinochet was key to his own electoral success, said Chile still had a way to go to reach reconciliation.
"We know that when thousands of countrymen's human rights are violated, like in what happened in our country, there are no solutions that can take away all the pain and all the damage done. Unfortunately, we can't bring back the dead or the disappeared and return them to their families. But we can and should do what we can to alleviate the pain and suffering and bring out the truth, the justice and also the reparations and reconciliation."
Four years after the military coup that brought Augusto Pinochet to power, debate continues over the impact of his long rule, and its effects on the upcoming presidential election in November.
Incumbent President Sebastian Pinera, says truth and justice are needed for peace and reconciliation to occur.
The nominee of the Alianza bloc for president, Presidential candidate Evelyn Matthei, is under pressure from opponents to apologise for her past in supporting the Pinochet government.
Her support included a campaign for the 'yes' vote in a 1988 referendum on whether Mr Pinochet should remain president for eight more years.
Ms Matthei has called for all sides to take another look at the country's history to reach some kind of consensus about what occurred.
"The only way we can build a future is if we are able to effectively reach a common, complete, shared and balanced view of the past."
The front-runner in this year's campaign, former President Michelle Bachelet, says reconciliation is not possible in the absence of truth, justice and grief.
Ms Bachelet was directly affected by the violent side of the Pinochet government.
Her father, an air force general, remained loyal to Mr Allende after the coup and was imprisoned, where he died of a heart attack after months of torture.
Ms Bachelet herself was also arrested and tortured and went into exile.
Mr Pinochet's government also pushed through free-market reforms that many believe set the foundation for Chile's economic progress.
That has moderated criticism of his rule over the years, but perceptions of his rule continue to be controversial amongst the country's 17 million people.
