Chile: a Time of Reckoning
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1 'Trm\ Chile: A Time of Reckoning Human Rights and the Judiciary INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS CENTRE FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF JUDGES AND LAWYERS Geneva - Switzerland The ICJ permits free reproduction of extracts from any of its publications provided that due acknowledgement is given and a copy of the publication carrying the extract is sent to its headquarters at the following address : P.O. Box 160 26, chemin de Joinville CH -1216 Cointrin/Geneva Switzerland T el: (41 22) 788 47 47 Fax : (41 22) 788 48 80 Copyright © International Commission of Jurists, 1992 ISBN 92 9037 063 7 Chile: A Time of Reckoning Human Rights and the Judiciary INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS CENTRE FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF JUDGES AND LAWYERS Geneva - Switzerland CONTENTS Preface ....................................................................................... 9 Part 1 The Chilean Transition ....................................... Chapter 1 Introduction............................................................... 15 The Present Report.............................................................18 The Political Context.......................................................... 21 Acknowledgments...............................................................24 Chapter 2 Political and Institutional Background.................... 25 The Plebiscite and the Elections........................................ 25 The transition in the 1980 Constitution.............................27 The Appointed Senators.....................................................29 The Organic Constitutional Law of Congress................... 31 Civil-Military Relations...................................................... 32 From Dictator to Army Chief............................................ 35 Armed Opposition Activity 1990-1991..............................39 Part 2 Human Rights Violations and Justice under the Military Government....................... Chapter 3 The Legacy of Repression: 1973-1990.................... 47 September 11,1973 - June 1974 ........................................ 50 June 1974 - August 1977.................................................... 57 August 1977 -1983.............................................................. 64 1983-March 11,1990 ....................................................... 69 Chapter 4 Human Rights and the Judiciary under the Military Government .............................. 73 Introduction.......................................................................... 73 The Principle of Independence ..........................................75 The Judiciary and the Popular Unity Government ....... 76 The Judiciary under the Military Government ................ 78 Habeas C orpus......................................................................82 The Supreme Court and the Consejos de G uerra.............87 The Encroachments of Military Justice ............................ 89 Mechanisms of Impunity: Human Rights Investigations in Military Courts............. 98 The 1978 Amnesty Law .................................................... 100 The Judge Cerda Case .....................................................101 After the A m nesty............................................................ 104 Part 3 Confronting the P a st......................................... Chapter 5 The Discovery of the Graves .................................. 113 Chapter 6 The Rettig Commission ..........................................129 Mandate and Powers........................................................ 129 Initial Political R eactions.................................................133 Publication of the Report ................................................135 Context and Standards of Report ..................................136 Opposition group abuses..............................................137 Moral or legal responsibility?.......................................138 Human Rights and Political Polarization..................... 140 Critique of the Judiciary ..............................................141 The Commission’s Methodology and Findings .............142 Structure of the Report and Statistical Findings.........144 The Role of the D IN A ................................................ 146 “Disappearances” ........................................................ 147 Executions....................................................................148 Victims of Political Violence and Armed Opposition Actions .................................................... 150 Recommendations ............... ............................................150 Reparation................................................................. 150 Establishment of a Human Rights Foundation.......... 151 Prevention .................................................................152 Reactions to the Report ......................................... 153 The Guzman Assassination........................................ 157 Part 4 Government Policies ...................................... Chapter 7 The Political Prisoners and the “Cumplido Laws” ................................................... 163 The Death Penalty (Law No. 19,029).............................. 165 Individual Rights and Penal Reforms............................... 166 Military Jurisdiction......................................................166 The Debate over Penalties............................................169 Penal Definitions and Presumptions of Guilt................169 Individual Rights and Guarantees.................................171 Political Prisoners and the Transitory Provisions ............ 173 The Parliamentary Debate and the Spectre of Terrorism..............................................176 The Abortive “Global Agreement”...............................178 Effects of Government Measures: Release of Prisoners 179 Chapter 8 Terrorism and Public Order: the Government Response.....................................................................182 Setting Priorities.................................................................. 182 Guaranteeing the Rights of Detainees.............................. 185 Allegations of Torture..................................................186 Incommunicado Detention.......................................... 190 Access to Lawyers ........................................................191 Judicial Investigations................................................... 191 The Government Response..........................................192 Chapter 9 The Amnesty Law, the Government and the Courts...........................193 The Debate over the Amnesty Law.............................. 195 Impunity Ratified: the Supreme Court Decision.......... 200 Judicial Investigations of Clandestine Burials.............. 203 The Letelier Case.................................................. 205 Legal Move............................................................. 206 Investigations into Human Rights Violations Committed after1978 ....................................................... 210 Chapter 10 Judicial Reform ................................................... 213 The Government and the Supreme Court..................... 216 Judicial Reform: Diagnoses and Remedies ..................221 Reform of the Supreme Court....................................... 224 The Government’s Proposals .....................................226 The Career Judiciary. Appointments, Promotions and Assessment.......................................... 228 Assessment as a Disciplinary Power........... ................ 229 The Supreme Court and the Parliamentary Debate.....233 Chapter 11 Conclusions............................................................235 The protection of fundamental rights under states of emergency.............................................. 236 Habeas Corpus................................................................ 238 Due Process Rights and Equality Before the Law....... 238 Guarantees against Torture............................................238 Accountability of Law Enforcement Agencies............. 240 Access to Lawyers...........................................................240 Presumption of Innocence............................................. 241 Judicial Independence.................................................... 241 Political Prisoners Arrested prior to March11,1990 .... 242 Investigations into the Fate of the “Disappeared”....... 242 Epilogue: October 1991 - June 1992........................................ 245 Preface Since the 1973 coup d’etat by General Pinochet, the Chilean system of justice has been a major cause of concern to the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). In April 1974, Mr. Niall MacDermot, the then Secretary-General of the ICJ, took part in a delegation that visited Chile to “enquire into the situation of human rights and the Rule of Law.” The report of this delegation was amongst the first accounts of the excessive deterioration in the respect for justice in Chile. The ICJ focus on Chile has continued ever since. We examined Chilean laws expressing our concern over whether they conform to international standards. We published reports and brought the case of Chile before the international and regional fora. In 1978, the Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL) was created by the ICJ with the aim of promoting judicial and legal independence throughout the world as a prerequisite for the legal protection for human rights. Since then, the CIJL has taken up the