Human Rights Policies in Chile: The Unfinished Struggle for Truth and Justice (Studies of the Americas)

This book analyses Chile’s “truth and justice” policies implemented between 1990 and 2013. The book’s central assumption is that human rights policies are a form of public policy and consequently they are the product of compromises among different political actors. Because of their political nature, these incomplete “truth and justice” policies instead of satisfying the victims’ demands and providing a mechanism for closure and reconciliation generate new demands and new policies and actions. However, these new policies and actions are partially satisfactory to those pursuing justice and the truth and unacceptable to those trying to protect the impunity structure built by General Pinochet and his supporters. Thus, while the 40th anniversary of the violent military coup that brought General Pinochet to power serves as a milestone with which to end this policy analysis, Chile’s human rights historical drama is unfinished and likely to generate new demands for truth and justice policies. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Transitional Justice: A Short Introduction....Pages 1-8 The Pinochet Dictatorship: The Destruction of Society and the Construction of Impunity....Pages 9-56 The Aylwin Administration: Doing As Much As Possible....Pages 57-87 The Frei Administration and the Politics of Denial....Pages 89-142 The Lagos Administration: Moving Along Multiple Fronts....Pages 143-173 The Bachelet Administration: Identifying and Remembering the Victims....Pages 175-198 Commemorating Chile’s Bicentennial and the Coup’s 40th Anniversary During the Piñera Administration....Pages 199-218 Conclusions....Pages 219-224 Back Matter....Pages 225-229 Silvia Borzutzky. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.