José Toribio Merino
Chilean politician and admiral / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about José Toribio Merino Castro?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
José Toribio Merino Castro (December 14, 1915 – August 30, 1996) was an admiral of the Chilean Navy who was one of the principal leaders of the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, along with General Augusto Pinochet of the Army, General Gustavo Leigh of the Air Force, and General César Mendoza of the Carabineros (national police). Together they established a military dictatorship that ruled Chile from 1973 until 1990, during which more than 3,197 Chilean citizens were executed or simply "disappeared", according to the reports of official bi-partisan commissions established by the President of Chile, Patricio Alwyn, in the 1990s.[1] In addition, a further 28,459 Chileans were victims of torture, which included approximately 3,400 cases of sexual abuse of women.[2]
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2013) |
José Toribio Merino | |
---|---|
Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Navy | |
In office September 11, 1973 – March 8, 1990 | |
Preceded by | Raúl Montero |
Succeeded by | Jorge Martínez Busch |
President of the Government Junta of Chile | |
In office March 11, 1981 – March 8, 1990 | |
Preceded by | Augusto Pinochet |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | (1915-12-14)14 December 1915 La Serena, Chile |
Died | 30 August 1996(1996-08-30) (aged 80) Viña del Mar, Chile |
Political party | Independent |
Spouse | Margarita Riofrío |
Children | 3 |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Chile |
Branch/service | Chilean Navy |
Years of service | 1936–1990 |
Rank | Vice Admiral |
Battles/wars | World War II
|
Merino, as head of the Navy, was a member of the Military Government Junta from the day of the coup until his retirement on March 8, 1990, just a few days before the beginning of civilian rule. Under his leadership in the days immediately following the coup, the Chilean Navy was responsible for human rights violations including death in detention, disappearance and torture, practices that were only publicly acknowledged by the institution in 2004, more than eight years after Merino's death.[3]
In 2021, the Chilean Navy refused to remove a statue of Merino from the gardens of the Maritime Museum of Valparaíso.[4] The statue's removal had been sought by the Chilean Foundation for Historic Memory.[5] The President of the Foundation, Luis Mariano Rendón, described Merino as an integral part of the military junta which implemented a systematic policy of human rights violations.[6]