When Tyrants Tremble

As Chile prepares for presidential elections in December 1999, the Pinochet arrest has prompted debate about the human rights legacy of the military. The crisis has also highlighted the undemocratic aspects of the constitution which Chile inherited from Pinochet. In this report, Human Rights Watch describes encouraging developments in Chilean courts during the year since Pinochet's arrest. Before Pinochet's arrest, the courts stifled most prosecutions of human rights violations from the military government through application of a 1978 amnesty law.