Wednesday, June 08, 2005



Fit for one trial but not another?

A Chilean court has stripped former dictator Augusto Pinochet of his immunity and allowed him to stand trial for tax evasion. But at the same time, they've ruled that he's too ill to stand trial for the murder of dissidents by his regime. Which is just a little bit contradictory; surely if he's fit to stand trial, then he's fit to stand trial, no matter what the charge (and vice versa, of course). But I guess its just another example of how Chile is still failing to deal properly with its past. Money is important, but the lives of the left-wingers he had tortured, murdered, or thrown screaming out of planes into the ocean? Too contraversial, too "political"...

And on the third hand, tax evasion is what they eventually got Capone for. And if these charges result in Pinochet spending the remainder of his life in jail where he belongs, then there'll be some justice, at least. Just not enough of it...

2 comments:

It's "On the gripping hand" when you want the third option. Remember the Moties?
:)

Posted by Anonymous : 6/08/2005 04:39:00 PM

It's "On the gripping hand" when you want the third option. Remember the Moties? :)
And now this interface is so much easier to use, I might actually bothe coming and commenting more!

Posted by Anonymous : 6/08/2005 04:41:00 PM