General Augusto Pinochet, a Chilean military leader and politician, served as the 31st President of Chile from 1974 to 1990. After rising through the ranks of the Chilean Army, he led a military coup in 1973 that overthrew the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende. Pinochet's 17-year dictatorship was marked by widespread human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture, and disappearances of political opponents. His rule also saw the implementation of neoliberal economic policies that exacerbated social and economic inequalities. Following the end of his dictatorship, Pinochet was charged with human rights violations but ultimately escaped prosecution. He died in 2006 without facing justice for his crimes.