4. The Frei Administration and the Politics of Denial

The Frei administration’s human rights policies and decisions are divided in two periods: before and after 1998, or before and after the detention of General Pinochet in London. The period between 1994 and 1998 was characterized by apathy and actual disregard for human rights and as a result the administration introduced bills geared to end the trials, maintained friendly relations with General Pinochet, and supported the military’s interpretation of the Amnesty Decree. In the aftermath of General Pinochet’s detention in London in 1998, there was new life infused into those concerned with human rights abuses, as well as creative thinking on the part of the members of the judicial branch who were willing to address the human rights crimes of the past. The chapter analyzes executive, legislative, and judicial actions, pays special attention to the Human Rights Roundtable, military-executive relations, and new judicial actions. The Human Rights Roundtable, or Mesa de Diálogo, generated in turn new actions of the part of human rights groups and others, which are analyzed in the next chapter.