Santiago, Chile
Chile’s Supreme Court last week stripped former dictator Augusto Pinochet of immunity from prosecution for human rights abuses committed during his 17-year rule. Prosecutors can now investigate whether to charge him for the deaths of 19 Chileans in the 1970s during Operation Condor, a joint crackdown on dissidents by South American dictators. The court removed Pinochet’s immunity once before, in 2001, but the retired general’s lawyers successfully argued that he suffered from dementia and was unfit to stand trial. The court reconsidered after Pinochet, 88, gave a lucid December interview to a Miami television station. “Nobody is above the law,” government spokesman Francisco Vidal said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
England’s ‘dysfunctional’ children’s care systemIn the Spotlight A new report reveals that protection of youngsters in care in England is failing in a profit-chasing sector
-
Cider farms to visit this autumnThe Week Recommends With harvest season fast approaching, spend an afternoon at one of these idyllic orchards
-
Endangered shark meat is being mislabeled and sold in the USUnder the radar It could cause both health and ecological problems
