Prosecuting Pinochet: The Challenges and Obstacles
to the Pursuit of Justice in Chile
A Presentation by Judge Juan Guzman Tapia
Thursday, October 20, 2005
4:00pm – 6:30pm, including reception
On October 20, 2005, the Center, in conjunction with Dean Claudio Grossman and the Institute for Policy Studies at American University, hosted a presentation by Judge Juan Guzman Tapia entitled Prosecuting Pinochet: The Challenges and Obstacles to the Pursuit of Justice in Chile. The presentation included a summary of the evolution of the judiciary in Chile and the problems for successfully bringing General Augusto Pinochet to trial.
Background Information on Judge Juan Guzman Tapia
When Chilean Dictator General Augusto Pinochet left detention in Britain and returned to Chile in March 2000, many thought he would remain forever beyond the reach of justice. Judge Juan Guzman Tapia had other plans. Within 72 hours, Judge Guzman moved to strip Pinochet’s immunity from prosecution, initiating a series of prosecutions that continue today. Twice—in 2000 and again in 2004—Judge Guzman succeeded in indicting Pinochet. Though in both cases superior courts declared Pinochet mentally unfit for trial, Judge Guzman’s work has given new hope to Pinochet’s victims, helped strengthen the rule of law in Chile, and inspired victims of tyranny the world over to seek justice against human rights violators who once seemed immune to judicial accountability.
Judge Guzman retired from the Santiago Court of Appeals in April 2005, and was recently appointed as dean of the law school at Central University in Santiago. His memoir, En el borde del mundo: Memorias del juez que procesó a Pinochet, is now a best seller in Chile.
