The former Chilean dictator
Augusto Pinochet was
formally interrogated on Saturday about his role in the disappearance of twenty among more than a thousand victims who vanished in the hands of his security forces.
The half-hour session took place in Pinochet's mansion and was conducted by the courageous Chilean investigative magistrate,
Juan Guzman. I had the privilege of giving sworn testimony before Guzman two years ago as part of his probe into Pinochet's responsibilities in the political murder of nearly
3200 people during his bloody rule.
Judge Guzman cut his questioning short after only a half dozen questions, deciding to submit the 88 year old former dictator to a medical exam before proceeding. It should be noted that such questioning is fairly pro-forma in any case. There's ample
evidence that Pinochet directly ordered much of the killing that marked his 17 year one-man rule.
Apart from the human rights charges he's facing, Pinochet is now also the target of a money-laundering and
tax fraud investigation. Earlier this year investigators uncovered millions in unexplained funds running through his account at the Riggs Bank.
In the past when Pinochet has faced difficulties hundreds, sometimes thousands have rallied in the Santiago streets to defend him.
On Saturday, as he underwent questioning, the number of
pro-Pinochet demonstrators outside his door numbered exactly
FOUR.
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The former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was formally interrogated on Saturday about his role in the disappearance of twenty among more than a thousand victims who vanished in the hands of his security forces.
The half-hour session took place in Pinochet's mansion and was conducted by the courageous Chilean investigative magistrate, Juan Guzman. I had the privilege of giving sworn testimony before Guzman two years ago as part of his probe into Pinochet's responsibilities in the political murder of nearly 3200 people during his bloody rule.
Judge Guzman cut his questioning short after only a half dozen questions, deciding to submit the 88 year old former dictator to a medical exam before proceeding. It should be noted that such questioning is fairly pro-forma in any case. There's ample evidence that Pinochet directly ordered much of the killing that marked his 17 year one-man rule.
Apart from the human rights charges he's facing, Pinochet is now also the target of a money-laundering and tax fraud investigation. Earlier this year investigators uncovered millions in unexplained funds running through his account at the Riggs Bank.
In the past when Pinochet has faced difficulties hundreds, sometimes thousands have rallied in the Santiago streets to defend him.
On Saturday, as he underwent questioning, the number of pro-Pinochet demonstrators outside his door numbered exactly FOUR.
September 26th, 2004 at 9:13 pm
As I have noted before, there is a very WARM reception waiting for the general. Very warm!
The smell of brimstone will be his companion for eternity.
September 26th, 2004 at 9:23 pm
Now if only we could get a trial for Henry Kissinger, though it would probably have the same result as Mr. Pinochet’s, namely a slap on the wrists and no great losses to his economic wealth. It is amusing to see the difference in treatment a Saddam gets compared to a Pinochet or Suharto, Duvalier,…Actually, not amusing, downright tragic.
September 26th, 2004 at 9:35 pm
Before the usual people distort that, Pinochet, Suharto, and Duvalier, to mention but 3 of our former allies of freedom and democracy, deserve the same kind of treatment that is presently accorded Saddamn. But that is about as likely to occur as my voting for Shrub I believe.
September 27th, 2004 at 12:42 am
Or about as likely as you NOT serial commenting. You do see, don’t you, that you are now regularly responding to your OWN posts. Plse dont aswer this one.
September 27th, 2004 at 1:10 am
I used to think that prosecuting former dictators has the huge problematic side effect of making current dictators less likely to give up power.
I’m much less sure, now. I think, until China feels strong enough to invade and reuinte with Taiwan, there is a window of opportunity for America to lead the world into a higher level of democratic government as the primary legitimate government type. If so, justice for the past abuses becomes more important than current incentives to current dictators.
And, yes, I don’t think Pinochet is AS GUILTY as the Vietnamese and Cambodian commies of the 70s; and I do think in many economic policies he did a good job; but he’s almost certainly not innocent.
What is justice? It’s not so clear.
September 27th, 2004 at 6:46 am
Tom Grey:
Given that favorable economic policies are not an affrimative defense against crimes against humanity, what is unclear about justice in this case? Given that Guzmán was questioning Pinochet about Operation Condor, a plan to kill leftists around the world in acts of terrorism including one in Washington, DC that resulted in the death of a US citizen 28 years ago last Tuesday, as well as a plan to kill a US Congressman, why is justice not clear here?
October 8th, 2004 at 7:09 am
tom grey
WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ? America leading the world on democracy? On justice for past human rights abuses ? ARE YOU CRAZY ?
The US tried to torpedo and then unilaterally reneged on the International Criminal Court.
The US refused to stop supporting, or release information on, the murders of US CITIZENS by the army in El Salvador.
The US helped to invent and export the ‘transitional justice’ model which consists of truth commissions and immediate, blanket (illegal) amnesty. It’s domestic groups and Europe who have pushed the prosecution agenda, and the US has fought them all the way.
The US tried last year to repeal the Alien Tort Claims Act which allowed victims to bring civil claims against torturers and murderers who have ‘retired’ to Florida.
I don’t know which is worse – your country’s greedy, murderous, grasping, immoral foreign policy or the wilful blindness of even supposed liberals about it.
September 27th, 2004 at 7:46 pm
Busy, Busy, Busy
I’ve been running around like the proverbial headless chicken and haven’t had time to post today, but I would like to recommend a few posts by other bloggers worth reading: 1.) David Holliday writes about an historical lesson from 1980′s
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