National Commission on Political Prisoners and Torture (Valech Commission)

The National Commission on Political Prisoners and Torture was created by the Ministry of Interior as an advisory body to the President of the Republic, to the aim of identifying the people who suffered deprivation of freedom and torture for political reasons by State agents or people at their service, in the period between September 1973 and March 1990. It was active between September 2003 and June 2005. The Commission did not make legal findings, but issued a final report on the basis of the evidence gathered through testimonies and information received. The Commission proposed to the President of the Republic reparations that could be granted to people who, recognised as political prisoners or as having been tortured, had not received any other benefit of a reparatory nature.