Job Discussion Forums

[Guy Courchesne]

...with hope, something that makes a very satisfying squish under the shoe

[MixtecaMike]

Pinochet will never go to prison, so better not get your hopes up too much. He was humiliated publicly by the Brits, which is the toughest punishment for him.

Just be happy he will die soon enough, as will the US jews that supported him so well.

So only GW to worry about now moonie, unfortunately I think he is destined to live very long and prosper.

[moonraven]

Someone will assassinate him. I am against violence, but in his case I suppose I could make an exception. Using an end justifies the means logic, of course.

[Guy Courchesne]

Imagine what details would come to light in a Pinochet trial...for tha matter, a Saddam Hussein trial. It would seem to be in the best interest of certain US circles that such details not come to light.

Perhaps you are right

[moonraven]

I was talking about someone assassinating GW Bush....

Pinochet is supposedly recovering nicely from his well-timed stroke of Saturday--his doctors say he is conscious. That's news--when was he ever conscious before?

Today, despite Pinochet's "Camille" act, The Santiago Court of Appeals upheld his indictment and house arrest.

[Guy Courchesne]

Wait for the Richocet on this story. I'll make a quick predication...new series of tests by the General's doctor, a new appeal, a never-ending tango.

[moonraven]

Wrong country: the tango is what they do in Argentina--and in FINLAND!

[moonraven]

Published on Monday, December 20, 2004 by Philadelphia Inquirer
Tyrant's Twilight, Dawn of Justice
by C�sar Chelala

It may signal a great moment for Chile, a hope for the return of human rights and the restoration of Chile's justice system, all but destroyed in the tyranny and despotism of the late 20th century.
The decision by Chilean judge Juan Guzm�n Tapia to indict former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet on charges of kidnapping nine political dissidents and killing one of them during his 17-year military regime is a significant one for Chile. Guzm�n ruled that Pinochet is mentally competent to face a criminal trial. Jos� Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch, stated: "This indictment is a great victory for Pinochet's victims. Whether or not this indictment leads to a trial, it is still a historic achievement given the untrammeled power Pinochet enjoyed for decades."

Guzm�n decided to indict Pinochet after questioning him and examining reports from court-appointed doctors. The decision was also based on an interview that Pinochet had with TV reporter Mar�a Elvira Salazar of Channel 22 in Miami late last year, during which Pinochet was mentally alert and totally unrepentant about his past.

Answering Salazar's question about his responsibility for crimes during his rule, Pinochet said: "That's a difficult question, how one sees oneself; always as an angel. I have no regrets at all. I have not assassinated anyone. I haven't ordered the killing of anyone. I feel that would be an aberration. I am a Christian first, then the rest."

If tried, Pinochet will have a difficult time proving his assertions. His indictment is part of an investigation into "Operation Condor," a joint plan by several South American nations in the 1970s and 1980s to share intelligence to persecute, torture and kill opponents of the countries' regimes. During the 17 years of Pinochet's dictatorship, thousands of people were tortured and "disappeared," and several thousand were imprisoned or sent into exile.

Pinochet's indictment comes shortly after the release of the findings of a National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture, appointed by Chile's President Ricardo Lagos. That commission found that 94 percent of the people detained in the aftermath of Pinochet's coup against President Salvador Allende had been tortured. Of the 3,400 women who testified, nearly all had suffered sexual torture, and more than 300 had been raped, including 11 who were pregnant at the time of their detention.

In an unusual move, Gen. Juan Emilio Cheyre, the chief of the army, acknowledged for the first time the army's institutional responsibility for human rights violations during Pinochet's rule. According to Cheyre, the context of the ideological conflict and the Cold War might explain but could never justify human rights violations.

Pinochet's lawyers justified their client's actions stating that he was fighting a war. However, several conventions make it illegal to murder or torture. These actions also violate the Nuremberg Charter and the United Nations Torture and Genocide conventions.

These treaties state that those responsible for such actions cannot enjoy diplomatic immunity or claim a refugee or political asylum status. Those treaties also determine that torture, disappearances and summary executions are imprescriptible and cannot be pardoned.

In an unexpected ruling last May, the Santiago (Chile) Appeals Court stripped Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution as a former head of state. That decision was upheld by Chile's Supreme Court in August, paving the way for Pinochet's recent indictment.

Trying Pinochet for the crimes committed during his rule has important implications. His trial creates a pathway toward rebuilding the country's justice system, which was destroyed by the tyrant and had allowed the protection of those guilty of brutal crimes. By trying the most notable strongman in Chile's history, the trial also shows that no matter how powerful a person is, it is never too late for any dictator, anywhere, to have to account for his crimes.

C�sar Chelala writes extensively on human rights and foreign policy issues.