Word: pinochets
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
First, General Pinochet refused to undergo medical tests to determine his fitness to stand trial; now he's agreed to be tested. Why did he change his mind...
...Apparently, he was convinced to do so. The commander in chief of the army visited Pinochet over the weekend and allegedly convinced him to submit to the medical tests so that all of this would be over soon. Because these medical tests are a good way out for Pinochet - most Chileans believe that the doctors will find him unfit to stand trial, and that'll be the end of it. Judge Guzman, the investigating judge, has also made it easier for Pinochet to back down by rescheduling the tests over four days, and providing a larger gap between those tests...
...Well, there have been a lot of talks between the army and Pinochet's legal advisters, his family and the government, which has in turn been talking to Judge Guzman, to work out how best to go about this process. Obviously there are strong disagreements among those parties. Some want Pinochet prosecuted, others want him left untouched. But they're in contact to establish mechanisms that allow these conflicts to be resolved through the courts, allowing for some flexibility, as in the agreement to reschedule the interrogation. Pinochet's lawyers had tried everything to stop, delay or interrupt the process...
...Sunday, President Ricardo Lagos released information provided by the military on the fate of some 200 people who disappeared during the dictatorship. Many of them had been tortured and then thrown out of airplanes over the ocean. How have those revelations impacted on the discussion over Pinochet's fate...
...certainly important and politically significant, but it's been going on for so long that it's become ever-present. Just as Japan is always aware of the possibility of an earthquake, so is Chile always aware of the conflict over putting Pinochet on trial. For the average Chilean, the issues are important, but they're nothing new. It's been like this for the last two years. In fact, there was a lot more tension when Pinochet was being held in Britain, because then you really didn't know what would happen. Here everyone knows that Pinochet is unlikely...