Foreword

On behalf of the Center for Civil and Human Rights of the Notre Dame Law School, I wish to express our gratitude for the privilege of bringing to the English-speaking world the Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation.

Before acknowledging the significant contributions that many persons have made to the successful completion of this project, I dedicate this English edition of the Report to the men and women of Chile who worked so courageously for human rights during the long nightmare of the Pinochet dictatorship. Their endeavor to "speak truth to power" provides an unforgettable example of the human spirit's capacity to struggle for justice against seemingly impossible odds.

Since his inauguration on March 11, 1990, President Patricio Aylwin has guided the Chilean transition to democracy with wisdom and grace. By promptly establishing the National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation, appointing its members and staff director, and giving to it its mandate, he initiated the painful search for the truth that hopefully will make reconciliation possible.

In carrying out its mandate, the members of the National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation and their supporting staff have earned the respect of the international human rights community for the integrity and professional competence with which they conducted their work. As a result, the policies and procedures of this Commission ought to be viewed as models for similar undertakings in future transitions from authoritarian regimes to democratic governments.

After the publication of the Commission's findings, President Aylwin authorized the Center for Civil and Human Rights of the Notre Dame Law School to oversee the English translation and publication of the Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation. We trust that we have justified the confidence that he thus placed in us.

All of us at the Center for Civil and Human Rights wish to express our appreciation to Phillip Berryman for the distinguished quality of this English translation. As an author in his own right, and a Latin American specialist with extensive experience living and working in the region, he proved to be an ideal colleague in this venture. And, because of his own personal commitment to human rights as demonstrated by his work in Central America, he readily accepted our request to undertake the difficult task of translating two volumes of the Report.

José Zalaquett, a Chilean lawyer and human rights advocate who served as a member of the National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation, has enriched this English translation of the Report with a perceptive Introduction that places it into context and highlights the lessons that may be learned from the work of the Commission. His earlier research into the subject of "confronting human rights violations committed by former governments" undoubtedly helped to establish the analytical framework for the work of the Commission.

After accepting the honor of overseeing the English translation and publication of the Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation, I asked Ms. Julie Dorrian to serve as Project Director, and this proved to be a very wise decision. Having lived and worked in Chile, she has an excellent working knowledge of Spanish and an understanding of the country. Working quietly and with great skill and efficiency, Ms. Dorrian served as liaison between the University of Notre Dame Press, the translator, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights (and almost succeeded in keeping us on schedule). She undertook this task and brought it to a successful conclusion, not only because of her professional abilities and talents, but, above all, because of her love of Chile and its people and her devotion to social justice.

Many people generously responded to our requests for advice and assistance regarding difficult questions of legal terminology, and I would especially like to commend for their help the following persons: Jorge Correa, Staff Director of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation; Pedro Aylwin and Andrés Sanfuentes of the Commission staff; Isauro Torres, Chilean Embassy, Washington, D.C.; Dan S. McDevitt, a J.D. candidate at Notre Dame Law School; and Ingrid Wittebroodt, a lawyer in the Santiago office of José Zalaquett.

I must express my personal thanks to Garth Meintjes, Assistant Director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights, and Nancy Wesolowski of the Center staff, for their initiative and responsibility, and for the generosity of their assistance in so many ways.

Financial assistance from the Ford Foundation made it possible for us to undertake this project, and I do wish to express my gratitude to the Ford Foundation for its generosity in helping to make the Report of the Chilean National Commission available to the English-speaking public. I am especially thankful to Margo Picken of the Foundation's staff for her patience, insightful questions, wise critiques, and unfailing commitment to international human rights.

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Posted by USIP Library on: October 4 2002
Source: Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation
(Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1993), vol. I/II, Foreward, xxi-xxii.
Note: Digitized and posted by permission of the University of Notre Dame Press, February 22, 2000.