Human Rights Policies in Chile

"Borzutzky does an excellent job of navigating between the policies and politics of postauthoritarian human rights policy in Chile. She chronicles how the Chilean government has been much more interested in pursuing truth than justice, and how that impacts victims who still seek accountability. Chile has made important progress but much more work remains to be done. The book will be useful for scholars, students, and activists alike." (Gregory Weeks, Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA) "Borzutzky's meticulously researched analysis of transitional justice in Chile between 1990 and 2015 provides a powerful and balanced account of a wide array of human rights policies including truth commissions, trials and other reconciliatory efforts. In what promises to be the definitive account of transitional justice in Chile, she ties the unfinished struggle for truth and justice to the notion that politicians achieved the politically possible, but fell short in doing enough to provide cloture and reconciliation." (Peter M. Siavelis, Professor, Wake Forest University, USA)

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.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.