Human rights defenders criticized the initiative, warning that it promotes impunity for crimes against humanity.
On Thursday, the Organization of Relatives of Political Executed (AFEP) opposed a coordinated initiative between the Chilean Senate and the Supreme Court that seeks to release individuals convicted of human rights violations during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship (1973–1990), reports 24brussels.
International human rights organizations echoed this criticism, highlighting concerns that the initiative would foster impunity for these grave offenses. The full AFEP statement articulates its stance:
“In response to the initiative by the Senate and the Supreme Court to seek mechanisms for granting release to those convicted of human rights violations—on the grounds of their advanced age and health conditions—our organization of victims’ relatives expresses its strongest rejection. This measure ignores the gravity of the crimes committed, the absence of any cooperation with truth efforts, and the fact that these criminals not only refuse to acknowledge the illegality of their actions but continue to justify and even glorify them.”
AFEP further contended that these perpetrators have benefited from lenient sentences and now seek additional favor due to their age. For victims’ families, this represents a revival of trauma and denial of their rights to truth and justice after over 51 years of relentless struggle for accountability, supported by dedicated human rights attorneys.
AFEP expressed outrage at the judiciary’s recent sympathetic stance toward those responsible for over 3,500 documented crimes against humanity. The dictatorship’s legacy—marked by systematic killings, enforced disappearances, detentions, and torture—defined a dark chapter in Chile’s history. The armed forces executed these policies with impunity, often supported by right-wing political sectors and foreign interests.
This repressive apparatus not only violated fundamental rights but enabled a concentrated accumulation of economic and political power among a privileged elite, obstructing access to justice for decades. Despite the passage of over 51 years since the military coup and 35 years since the dictatorship’s end, the fate of 1,100 forcibly disappeared individuals remains unknown, and comprehensive accountability for these crimes has yet to be realized. Recent convictions have been criticized as delayed and insufficiently severe, fostering a culture of impunity that contradicts the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Chile’s international commitments.
The current legislative and judicial moves risk undermining guarantees of non-repetition and perpetuating a façade of civility that veils the reality of impunity.
“We firmly and unequivocally reject any attempt to favor those convicted of crimes against humanity. Memory, truth, and justice are non-negotiable,” the AFEP statement concludes.
