British MPs, rights activists welcome verdict

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, DEC. 2. While the British Government has reason to be embarrassed by the decision of a court in Chile to put on trial the former Chilean dictator, Gen. Augusto Pinochet on charges of murdering and torturing his political opponents, human rights campaigners and several political leaders, including Labour M.P.s, have welcomed it.

They have criticised the British Government for letting Gen. Pinochet go home last year on the ground that he was too ill to be tried.

The news of Gen. Pinochet's indictment and arrest has been greeted with a sense of relief in non-official circles with commentators highlighting the British Government's failure to bring the dictator to justice by stopping mid-way his trial for extradition to Spain where he is wanted for human rights abuse. His indictment comes nine months after the Home Secretary, Mr. Jack Straw, overruling protests, announced that the octogenarian former dictator was too ill to stand trial.

In a letter to the Spanish Ambassador in London, he said given Gen. Pinochet's condition it could not be a fair trial and would violate the European Convention on Human Rights.

The former Prime Minister, Lady Margaret Thatcher was among Gen. Pinochet's supporters hailing him as a ``staunch friend of Britain'' and castigating the Labour Government for treating him like a prisoner.

There was no comment from her on Friday and the media made a point of commenting on her silence. The Labour M.P., Mr. David Winnick called her an ``apologist'' for Gen. Pinochet and said her argument that if he were detained in Britain it would provoke a military coup in Chile had been proved wrong.

``The opposite has happened,'' he said pointing to the fact that it was a Chilean court that had finally taken the plunge.

Mr. Carlos Reyes of a London-based human rights group Chile Democratico who was tortured during Pinochet's regime said he was ``touched'' by the decision.

``I was very disappointed when he was sent back and thought that's it, nothing will happen now. I am very happy to be proved wrong,'' he said echoing the widespread sentiment among Chilean exiles here.

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Section  : International
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