This article examines the decisions of the Chilean Supreme Court, which has invoked and applied the Geneva Conventions to the events that occurred during the Chilean military dictatorship that took place between 1973 and 1990. As will be explained, these norms have allowed the Court to render ineffective the amnesty dictated by the military regime and to disregard the statute of limitations for the crimes of imprisonment, torture, murder and forced disappearance, among others. Notably, however, the Supreme Court has overlooked the requirements for the application of international humanitarian law, and has relied almost exclusively on the declaration of war issued by the Junta de Gobierno in the early days of the dictatorship. This has allowed the Court to provide for an extensive application of international humanitarian law, which ignores its fundamental elements, including the distinct...

Este artículo examina las decisiones de la Corte Suprema chilena, que ha invocado y aplicado los Convenios de Ginebra a los hechos ocurridos durante la dictadura militar chilena que tuvo lugar entre 1973 y 1990. Como se explicará, dichas normas internacionales han permitido a la Corte dejar sin efecto las normas de amnistía dictadas por el régimen militar y no considerar la prescripción penal de los crímenes de encarcelamiento, tortura, asesinato y desaparición forzada, entre otros. Lo peculiar, sin embargo, es que la Corte Suprema ha pasado por alto los supuestos de aplicación del Derecho Internacional Humanitario, y se ha basado casi exclusivamente en la declaración de guerra dictada por la Junta de Gobierno en los primeros días de la dictadura. Ello le ha permitido dar una aplicación extensiva al Derecho Internacional Humanitario, que hace caso omiso a sus elementos fundame...

This article examines the decisions of the Chilean Supreme Court, which has invoked and applied the Geneva Conventions to the events that occurred during the Chilean military dictatorship that took place between 1973 and 1990. As will be explained, these norms have allowed the Court to render ineffective the amnesty dictated by the military regime and to disregard the statute of limitations for the crimes of imprisonment, torture, murder and forced disappearance, among others. Notably, however, the Supreme Court has overlooked the requirements for the application of international humanitarian law, and has relied almost exclusively on the declaration of war issued by the Junta de Gobierno in the early days of the dictatorship. This has allowed the Court to provide for an extensive application of international humanitarian law, which ignores its fundamental elements, including the distinct...