Claudio Zaidan hits the mark in remembering Salvador Allende: a history lesson that must not be erased

 

By Rodolfo Varela

In times of historical manipulation and hollow speeches about democracy and freedom, it is rare to find voices that remain lucid, critical, and deeply respectful of the truth. One of those voices is that of journalist and commentator Claudio Scaff Zaidan, a renowned professional at the Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação, and a multiple-time winner of the ACEESP Trophy between 2014 and 2023. With his direct, ethical, and intelligent style, Zaidan has stood out not only in sports journalism but also in the sharp political commentary he delivers every afternoon on Rádio Bandeirantes.

Controversial left-wing summit in Chile

Yesterday, Zaidan made a bold and accurate comment about President Salvador Allende, the legitimate head of state of Chile who was brutally overthrown and murdered during the military coup of September 11, 1973. Few journalists dare to state clearly what documents and witness accounts have already confirmed: Allende did not commit suicide. He was murdered by the bloody and nefarious dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

I can say this with the authority of someone who lived through that terrible day. On that morning of September 11, I was working at the historic Radio Corporación CB 114, where we broadcast live the first statement from President Allende as the coup unfolded. At the time, I was the director of the northern Chilean radio network. I saw, I heard, and I felt the tragedy that fell upon my country. No one can tell me that story — I am part of it.

Let me be clear: I don’t know Claudio Zaidan personally, but I listen to him every day and deeply admire and respect him for his consistency and intellectual honesty. I congratulate this outstanding journalist not only for his truthful recollection of Salvador Allende but for clearly stating that neither Brazil nor Chile should become a new Venezuela. These are nations of great potential, abundant natural resources, and hardworking people. What’s missing — and has always been missing — is political and diplomatic will to break with the historical dependence on U.S. interests and build an authentic and sovereign regional integration.

It’s true: the United States needs Latin America just as much as Latin America needs the United States. But what cannot be accepted are these populist summits held by certain Latin American governments — like the recent one in Chile — speaking about “democracy” and “freedom of expression” while hiding their massive historical debts to their own people.

Chile is a prime example. Chilean democracy is still indebted to:

• the political prisoners who spent years behind bars and were forgotten;

• the exonerated workers, who lost their jobs and livelihoods;

• the tortured and disappeared, whose memory refuses to be erased;

• and the children who were kidnapped and sold to foreign families with the complicity of political, judicial, and religious institutions.

How can these same sectors today talk about freedom and human rights when they have not yet repaired the victims of the dictatorship?

Claudio Zaidan on the Radio Bandeirantes panel

Claudio Zaidan’s statement, in rescuing the truth about Salvador Allende, reminds us that history cannot be buried for ideological convenience. And it warns us that democracy is built on memory, justice, and courage — qualities that Zaidan, as an honest journalist, clearly possesses in abundance.