La Lettre

Special Issue - The new letter of the FIDH
Number 3 - March / April 1999

---

Information accountability Action

FOCUS ON Chile: Can Augusto Pinochet return to Chile with impunity ? Algeria: Listening to the voices of those who dissapeared THE FIDH IN ACTION Turkey: The International Bureau of the FIDH in Istanbul under police surveillance France: French judiciary’s fight against terrorism ‘paving the way for arbitrary justice’ Interview with Michael McColgan, chargé de mission of the FIDH Armenia: Birth of an activist movement HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS UN: International mechanisms for the protection of Human Rights Activists UN Declaration An important first step towards international protection of the defenders Colombia: Supporting Human Rights defenders in Colombia: launch of a special programme The Observatory: Urgent action

THE DECISION OF THE LORDS : A CLOUDED VICTORY The FIDH recognizes with great satisfaction, the ruling delivered by the House of Lords on 24th March, 1999, partially confirming the preceding decision of the same jurisdiction, dated 25th November 1998, which had been invalidated the following 17th December. The new decision legitimately refuses, by a large majority, General Augusto Pinochet the benefit of immunity. It confirms the advance of International Law in the realm of the fight against impunity and responds to the requirement of justice for victims. The FIDH receives with reservation the ruling of the House of Lords in which it had restricted the extradition of General Augusto Pinochet to Spain to the sole acts of torture that he committed after 1988. The FIDH considers that these acts of torture are part of a larger category of crimes against humanity, committed by imprescribable nature. The FIDH recalls that in any case, this restriction has no impact on the other grounds invoked by the Spanish judge, Balthazar Garzon, used to justify his extradition request with international warrants against General Pinochet, in particular the crime of terrorism and the crime of disappearance, the latter being considered a continuous crime. The FIDH asks the British authorities to proceed rapidly in extraditing General Augusto Pinochet to Spain, so that he can be judged following the compaints lodged against him. The FIDH underlines, on the other hand, that several procedures have been started in other European Countries in regard to General Pinochet with extradition requests made, and reiterates its request to the British authorities to follow up on these demands. Finally, the FIDH recalls that 18 complaints are in the course of being examined in Chile, directed not only at General Pinochet, but also at Chilean military officers for crimes against humanity, hoping that soon, the investigation of these complaints will not be hindered. Paris, 24th March 1999

 

Retour à l'index des Lettres - Back to "One Year of La Lettre -