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Derechos Chile is a web site dedicated to providing information on human rights in Chile between 1973 and the present. Our work aims to help build a collective memory of a specific period in Chilean history. Derechos Chile is part of the Chile Information Project , an English-language news and information service based in Santiago.
How is Derechos Chile financed?
Derechos Chile, which consists of this web site only, was financed by the Ford Foundation until the end of 1999. In the future, we aim to diversify our funding sources in order to become self-reliant.
What are human rights?
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights," says Article 1 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in December, 1948. The landmark UN treaty and others which followed establish that everyone is born with certain inherent rights and it is the responsibility of the State to guarantee and protect these rights. The most basic human right is the right to life. However, there are a series of other human rights that are less obvious and their definition is the subject of much debate, such as the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right to education and other social, cultural and economic rights.
How are human rights violated?
A human rights violation occurs when the State or its agents (police, the armed forces and anyone acting with the authority of the State) deny an individual any one of the rights established by the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The difference between a human rights violation and a criminal act is that the former is committed by the state and the latter is not. Therefore, when a police officer kills a person in his custody, he is committing a human rights violation but if a man kills a civilian or a soldier, it is a criminal act.
Why don’t you have information about human rights violations in Chile during the Popular Unity government 1970 - 1973?
There are no documented cases of disappearance or torture resulting in death in that period. All political parties operated freely, the legislative and judicial branches of government functioned with full autonomy and there was absolute freedom of expression, unlike the period of military rule that followed
The military regime justified the coup by claiming that the Popular Unity government had not only violated fundamental human rights, but was also about to carry out a sinister plan, Plan Z, to murder Armed Forces officials and take power illegally. Immediately following the coup, the military published the "White Book" to prove the existence of the Plan Z, and which includes an account of what the Junta considered as political violence and human rights violations during the Popular Unity (1970 - 1973) years. The "White Book" says "96 violent deaths attributed to social or political motives" occurred during that period, however, the authors of the book do not state that the government was responsible for the deaths but rather for creating a climate of violence propitious for the deaths.
Why do you not include as a human rights violation soldiers who died at the hands of terrorists?
Soldiers or other state agents killed by terrorists or armed groups are not, technically speaking, victims of human rights violations but rather victims of a criminal act or, as the Chilean government’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission terms it, "victims of political violence." The state is responsible for guaranteeing human rights and only when the state denies these rights is it a human rights violation. In the Derechos Chile chronology, which lists important events in Chile’s recent history, we include deaths of state agents at the hands of armed opponents to the military government, given that these, regardless of whether or not they were human rights violations, had an impact on the political developments of the period.
How many people actually died or disappeared under Pinochet’s regime?
The Chilean government has officially recognized 3,197 deaths and disappearances resulting from human rights violations by the military regime (1973-1990). It documents a total of 2,095 deaths and 1,102 disappearances. Each case is detailed in the Report of the Truth and National Reconciliation Commission (Rettig Report, 1991) and the subsequent "Informe sobre calificación de víctimas de violaciones de derechos humanos y de la violencia política" (1996).
There is some reasonable doubt regarding the accuracy of the official statistics. First, the Rettig Commission was unable to reach a conclusion in several hundred of the cases it investigated. Secondly, it is widely acknowledged that many people did not come forward to denounce human rights abuses, either out of fear or mistrust of the government.
There are no official figures for the survivors of human rights violations, such as those who suffered torture, imprisonment, exile or other human rights abuses, although by the end of the military regime, the Chilean Human Rights Commission (Comision Chilean de Derechos Humanos) calculated that around 500,000 people were affected by the aforementioned abuses.
Where do you get your information?
The material on the site is derived from books, magazines, newspaper articles as well as personal testimony and academic papers. Currently, in Chile there are many valuable documents to draw from in the task of piecing together the country’s recent history. The documents on this site come from several archival collections, including the Documentation and Archives Foundation at the Archdiocese of Santiago (formerly the Vicaria of Solidarity), the Chilean Human Rights Commission, The Corporation for the Promotion and Defense of the Rights of the People (CODEPU), the Christian Churches Social Assistance Foundation (FASIC), Amnesty International, the Program for the Protection of Children Damaged by States of Emergency PIDEE, and other human rights organizations.
Can you help me find out about a specific person who disappeared or died?
We suggest you consult the alphabetical listing of victims in the Report of the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Rettig Report). If you do not find the person’s name there, contact the Association of Relatives of the Disappeared (AFDD), the Association of Relatives of Persons Executed for Political Reason (AFEP) or see our human rights organization listing for other contacts.
Where can I find the Rettig Report?
The following can be found on this site: the original Spanish version of the Rettig Report (The Report of the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission), the updated Spanish language summary of the Rettig Report and the English version of the summary.
Can you help me with my research on Chile?
First, please check the documentation on the site thoroughly yourself to see if the information you are looking for is available on the site. Some of the documents can be downloaded directly, others have to be ordered at a small fee. If the information is not there, please send us your request and we will see how we can help. As a general rule, if we have it on hand, we will send it to you as quickly as we can and free of charge. If it involves extra work, it will take longer.
We also provide Links to related sites, as well as a listing of human rights organizations currently operating in Chile.
What about other human rights such as gay rights, women's rights, indigenous people, labor rights etc.?
Derechos Chile focuses mainly on the violations of human rights committed by the military regime (1973 - 1990).
The state violence that started with the coup was political, and was aimed mainly at leftist organizations and opponents of the regime. Those groups of society which in Chile suffer discrimination, such as the indigenous community, homosexuals and women, were also included within this sector . The types of repression used in Chile by the military regime included: arbitrary arrest, imprisonment, torture, forced disappearances, summary executions, collective executions, the negation of the right to appeal to War Council sentences, homicide, exile, internal exile, abduction, intimidation, attempted homicide, death treats, raids, exoneration and vigilance. Such treatment violated the following rights: the right to life, the right to personal integrity, the right to personal liberty, the right to personal security and the right to live in one’s country.
Can I send you my work to be published on the site?
Contributions are welcome, as long as they relate to the site contents. Some examples of material we are interested in: academic research papers, newspaper or magazine articles past and present, photographs, press releases, and personal testimony. For testimony, we will require verification of the authors. We won’t necessarily use everything we receive and we cannot pay for your material. Send your contributions to contacto@derechoschile.com.
Do you need volunteers to work on the site? How can I help with the site?
Derechos Chile is produced by paid staff, with the occasional assistance of student interns. Volunteers are welcome but only if they have a very specific skill to offer which coincides with the needs of the project. If you are interested in a paid position at the Chile Information Project, contact Steve Anderson at anderson@chip.mic.cl.
Can you put a link to my site?
Please send us all the necessary information about your site and we will add a link to it if we find it relevant.
Can I announce an event in your site?
Yes, please check out our Events section and send us the necessary information.
May I use Derechos Chile materials in my school/university project, my publication, or on my web page and are these materials protected by copyright?
Yes you may. We consider this information to be public, but we would appreciate it if you could cite Derechos Chile as a source.
