Vicariate of Solidarity Files and Archive Foundation

The Vicariate of Solidarity Files and Archive Foundation (Fundación de Documentación y Archivo de la Vicaría de la Solidaridad) is a non-governmental organization whose main goal is to preserve and manage the documents, publications, images, and media clippings collected by the former and by the organization that replaced it, the Vicariate of Solidarity. These files are considered part of the history and heritage both of Chile and the Church of Santiago. They are available to the public as instruments of reconciliation and cooperation, with the aim of building a society based on truth, justice and the respect for human rights. The organization also collaborates with the judiciary and the information contained in its files has been used to prosecute crimes against human rights in Chile’s recent history.

In October 1973, Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez, along with representatives from other churches, created the (Comité Pro Paz), an organization that provides legal and social help to the victims of Chile’s military dictatorship and their families. The Committee for Peace was replaced on January 1 of 1976 by the Vicariate of Solidarity, which has continued the work started by the Comité Pro Paz. It worked throughout the military dictatorship and finally closed on December 31, 1992. The 20-year project documenting the cases of victims contain valuable information and represents the biggest sources of information about human rights in Chile. When the Vicariate of Solidarity closed, it in turn was replaced by the, which was founded on January 1, 1993. It was created to preserve the documents and information collected by the Vicariate of Solidarity and the Committee for Peace about human rights violations committed between September 1973 and March 1990.

One of the Foundation’s goals is to collaborate in the reconciliation and creation of a society based on truth, justice and respect for human rights. In line with this, it created a national archive that brings together the biggest collection of evidence (documents, pictures, forensic reports, testimonies and physical samples) from the military regime. The files were all collected during the period when the human rights violations were taking place and the organizations that collected them are highly regarded both in Chile and abroad, which makes them a highly valued source of evidence for governmental, judiciary, parliamentary and NGO organisations among others. The files have being organized and classified according to their type and use:

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