Rettig Report

Rettig Report
Name	Rettig Report
Title	Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation
Date delivered	8 February 1991
Commissioned by	Patricio Aylwin
Chairperson	Raúl Rettig
Jurisdiction	Chile
Subject	Human rights violations during the Military dictatorship of Chile (1973–1990)

Rettig Report. Officially titled the Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation, it is a foundational document in Chile's modern history. Commissioned by President Patricio Aylwin and chaired by former senator Raúl Rettig, the report documented the most severe human rights violations committed during the Military dictatorship of Chile (1973–1990). Its publication in 1991 marked a critical step in the nation's transition to democracy, establishing an official record of atrocities and proposing measures for reparations and institutional reform.

Background and context

The report was created in the immediate aftermath of the Chilean transition to democracy, which began after the defeat of Augusto Pinochet in the 1988 Chilean national plebiscite. For seventeen years, the Chilean military regime, led by the Government Junta, was responsible for widespread repression. This period was characterized by systematic abuses, including forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture, carried out by entities like the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA) and the Carabineros. International bodies such as the United Nations and organizations like Amnesty International had long condemned the regime's actions. The return to civilian rule under President Aylwin created a political imperative to confront this painful legacy, balancing the demands of victims' groups like the Agrupación de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos with the still-influential power of the Chilean Army.

Commission formation and mandate

In April 1990, shortly after his inauguration, President Patricio Aylwin established the National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation via supreme decree. He appointed a diverse eight-member commission, led by jurist and former ambassador Raúl Rettig. Other notable members included José Zalaquett, a lawyer from the Vicariate of Solidarity, and Gonzalo Vial Correa, a conservative historian. The commission's mandate was specifically limited to investigating cases of death or disappearance resulting from state agents or individuals in their service, occurring between 11 September 1973 and 11 March 1990. It was explicitly barred from naming individual perpetrators or functioning as a judicial body, focusing instead on establishing the truth and recommending reparatory measures for victims and their families.

Main findings and conclusions

The commission's exhaustive investigation, which included thousands of testimonies and reviews of archives from the Vicariate of Solidarity and the International Committee of the Red Cross, confirmed 2,279 cases of human rights violations resulting in death. Of these, 2,115 were deemed to be victims of state agents, while 164 were attributed to armed opposition groups. The report detailed the systematic nature of the repression, identifying patterns of abduction, execution, and clandestine burial, often involving the DINA and sites like Colonia Dignidad. It concluded that the state, under the Military dictatorship of Chile (1973–1990), had committed massive, institutionalized human rights violations, constituting a profound moral crisis for the nation. The findings explicitly rejected the regime's justification of a "state of internal war."

Recommendations

The report presented a comprehensive set of recommendations focused on moral and material reparation, and the prevention of future abuses. Key proposals included the creation of a National Corporation for Reparation and Reconciliation to continue the commission's work and provide pensions, educational benefits, and healthcare to victims' families. It urged profound legal and institutional reforms to strengthen the independence of the Judiciary of Chile and subordinate the Armed Forces to civilian authority. The commission also recommended symbolic acts, such as the establishment of a Day of the Detained and Disappeared, the construction of monuments, and official public apologies by the state to restore the dignity of the victims.

Reception and impact

The report's public presentation by President Patricio Aylwin in a nationally televised address was a seismic event in Chilean society. While human rights organizations and victims' families largely welcomed it as a vital first step toward justice, the reaction from the Chilean Army and right-wing political sectors, including parties like the Independent Democratic Union, was one of strong rejection and denial. The findings challenged the official narrative maintained during the Military dictatorship of Chile (1973–1990). Its impact was immediate, leading to the creation of the recommended National Corporation for Reparation and Reconciliation and initiating a long-term, albeit contested, process of memorialization. The report also influenced subsequent truth-seeking efforts in other countries, such as South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Legacy and subsequent developments

The Rettig Report established an irreversible official truth about the dictatorship's crimes, becoming a fundamental reference for all subsequent human rights work in Chile. Its limitations, particularly the lack of judicial accountability, were addressed in part by later initiatives like the Valech Report, which documented torture and political imprisonment. The arrest of Augusto Pinochet in London in 1998, following a request from Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, invigorated judicial investigations that drew heavily on the commission's documentation. Its legacy is evident in ongoing trials, the work of the Museum of Memory and Human Rights in Santiago, and continued debates over memory and justice within Chilean institutions like the Constitutional Court and the Congress of Chile.

Category:Chilean government reports Category:Human rights in Chile Category:1991 in Chile Category:Truth and reconciliation commissions