Do institutions play a role in the perpetration of torture?

Abstract

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, most Latin American countries experienced military coups and military interventions in government affairs. In Chile, the military coup of 1973 established a military regime that lasted seventeen years, from 1973 to 1990. As a result of the military dictatorship thousands of people were killed, disappeared and/or tortured. This study examines the influence of the institutional framework on the occurrence of torture and the behavior of torturers. Perpetrators of torture are the main source of information. Depth interviews were conducted with Chilean military and policemen who were active during the military regime, National Reports and judicial files were analyzed. The study traces the realities that a group within in the military regime faced and examines the ways in which participants attempted to cope with the criminal behavior that was encouraged by the institutional framework.