The year was dominated by the events related to the arrest of General (retd.) Augusto Pinochet in the United Kingdom and the investigations into past human rights violations involving Pinochet and other high-ranking retired military officers.
Judges are increasingly more willing to investigate and open trials for past human rights violations.
However, the 1978 amnesty law continues to be the major obstacle. The Chilean judiciary is characterised by the predominant position of the Supreme Court and a concentration of different powers within it.
Attacks on Justice 2000 – Chile (full text, PDF)