In honor of Juan Guzmán Tapia, who died in Chile on January 22nd, POV is re-streaming its 2008 film, The Judge and the General, which documents Guzmán’s investigation and indictment of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
A Note From The Filmmaker:
Santiago Appeals Court Judge Juan Guzmán had supported General Augusto Pinochet's 1973 military coup against the democratically elected president Salvador Allende. When appointed in 1998 to investigate the first murder charges filed in Chile against Pinochet, Guzmán could have said "no." To accept the appointment would mean endangering himself and his family. It would also mean losing friends and derailing his career. Whatever he decided would be controversial and prevent his advancement to the Supreme Court. But Guzmán accepted the appointment and dedicated himself to vigorously pursuing the truth -- what he called "descending into the abyss." The investigation and ensuing indictment of Pinochet transformed Judge Guzmán and helped transform his country. Co-producer/director Patricio Lanfranco and I, along with others who contributed to the film, feel fortunate to have been allowed to document Judge Guzmán's transformation. We mourn his death and extend our sympathy to his family.
-Co-producer/director Elizabeth Farnsworth
Broadcast in 2008 as part of POV's 21st Season, The Judge and the Generalwon the duPont-Columbia Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Historical Programming and a Directors Guild of America (DGA) nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary.
Judge Juan Guzmán Tapia, the subject of The Judge and the General, died at home in Santiago, Chile, on January 22. His appointment in 1998 to investigate the first murder charges against former dictator Augusto Pinochet was at first met with skepticism by human rights lawyers and activists. After all, Guzmán had supported Pinochet’s 1970 coup against the democratically elected President Salvador Allende. However, as the investigation deepened, it became clear that the judge would vigorously pursue the truth. In 2000, after years of traversing the country to gather evidence, Guzmán, in a landmark legal move, stripped Pinochet of his immunity and indicted him for 75 politically-motivated murders.
Guzmán would later go on to teach law at universities throughout the world and serve as the director for the Center for Human Rights at the Universidad Central de Chile. A staunch advocate for justice, Guzmán was brave enough to “descend into the abyss,” as he put it, to discover the truth. "It’s important for the people, it’s important for the relatives of the victims, and it’s important for the country," Guzman says in the film. "A wounded country needs to know the truth.” Here are some more resources on Judge Guzmán's life and career:
Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyncote Foundation. Additional funding comes from The John S. and James Knight Foundation, Nancy Blachman and David desJardins, Bertha Foundation, Reva & David Logan Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Chicago Media Project, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Sage Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee and public television viewers. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.
