The Pursuit of Justice in Chile featuring Judge Juan Guzman Tapia

Thursday, March 31, 2005 at 4:00 p.m.
Room 118, College of Law

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Judge Juan Guzman Tapia was appointed to the bench in 1972 by President Salvador Allende. He was eventually elevated to the Court of Appeals City of Talca by Augusto Pinochet, and then to the Santiago Court of ppeals in 1999 on the eve of Chile's democratic transition.

In 1998, the Santiago Court of Appeals appointed him to conduct investigations into human rights violations committed during the Pinochet dictatorship. In March 2001, Judge Guzman filed a motion with the court to strip Pinochet of the senatorial immunity from prosecution. In December 2001, Judge Guzman indicted Augusto Pinochet in the Caravan of Death case. The Supreme Court of Chile later dropped those charges on the grounds of Pinochets health.

In December 2004, Judge Guzman indicted Pinochet again in a different case, the Operation Condor case. Operation Condor was a 1970s conspiracy of South American dictatorships to collaborate on eliminating leftist opponents. According to Judge Guzman, Pinochet authorised Operation Condor in November 1975 following a meeting of secret services from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay in Santiago

The Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights

Established in 1979, the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights is a privately endowed program at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, dedicated to the study, promotion and protection of international human rights.