Juan Guzmán Tapia

Juan Salvador Guzmán Tapia (; 22 April 1939 – 22 January 2021) was a Chilean judge who lead the investigation and subsequent prosecution of Augusto Pinochet for violations of human rights during his dictatorship between 1973 and 1990. As a special prosecutor, he used novel legal strategies to hold Pinochet and members of his military regime accountable for the killings and human rights violations during this period.

Early life Guzmán was born on 22 April 1939 into a Chilean diplomatic family of Basque descent in San Salvador, El Salvador. His father Juan Guzmán Cruchaga was a diplomat and a poet, while his mother was involved in the arts, having been trained in theater and sculpture. However, his godfather was salvadoran dictator: general Maximiliano Hernández Martínez. Guzmán was exposed to US culture early in his life, having spent his early years between 4 and 12 in San Francisco and Washington. Speaking of his early years as a sheltered conservative, Guzmán said that he and his family initially cheered as Pinochet overthrew democratically elected socialist President Salvador Allende in a military coup. During this time, Pinochet was arrested in London in October 1998 under orders of Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón on charges of genocide and other crimes against Spanish citizens in Chile. However, Pinochet was finally deemed unfit for trial and returned home to Chile in March 2000 after 17 months of house arrest in London. Guzmán immediately applied to have Pinochet's legal immunity revoked and have him placed under house arrest in Santiago.

In December 2000, Guzmán formally charged Pinochet for kidnapping during his 1973–1990 dictatorship, and questioned him for two hours in January 2001 after doctors said he was fit to undergo interrogation. That same month, Guzmán placed the general under house arrest. In September 2005, the Court acceded to Guzmán's request to strip Pinochet of his immunity concerning Operation Colombo.

Despite all of the efforts, Pinochet died in 2006, with charges and multiple cases continuing to remain pending.

After his retirement, he served as the director of the Center for Human Rights at the Universidad Central de Chile. He also voiced his support for the Cuban Five, whose arrest Guzmán deemed as unjust and arbitrary.

Media The 2008 documentary The Judge and the General documented his efforts to bring Pinochet to justice for the crimes committed by his regime. The documentary was produced and directed by Elizabeth Farnsworth and Patricio Lanfranco. The show was aired on PBS in the United States.

Personal life Guzmán was married to French-born Inés Watine Dubrulle. The couple had two daughters. Titled the Guzmán–Watine collection, it spanned Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.

He lived in Santiago and suffered from dementia in the latter part of his life. He died on 22 January 2021. The cause for his death was not announced. He was 81.

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