The Impact and Role of the Truth Commission Archives in Chile1
Anita Ferrara · 2025
The chapter explores how the Truth Commissions in Chile built their archives in very different political contexts. Both achieved the monumental task of evidence collection in a short period of time, thanks to the wealth of preexisting archives created by civil society organisations that opposed and resisted the dictatorship. The chapter seeks to enhance our understanding of the various roles that Truth Commission archives have played in realising truth, justice, and reparations during Chile’s long transitional period. Both the Rettig and Valech Truth Commissions developed their archives while they were in operation. Over time, these archives have proven to be critical tools for subsequent reparation, justice, and memory processes. Despite their significance and the roles they have come to fulfil, access to the Truth Commission archives remains very limited for both Commissions’ archives, and their preservation is quite scattered. This situation makes the Chilean model a challenging example for managing and accessing Truth Commission archives.