No hiding place for Chilean dicator

Sergio Requeña-Rueda fought against the Pinochet military junta and was arrested and tortured in 1976. Recently he travelled to Madrid to make a statement before the judges seeking to extradite Pinochet concerning two Spanish "disappeared" whom he saw at the notorious Villa Grimaldi. Here he looks at the implications of Pinochet's arrest for Chilean democracy.

It has become clear that the detention of Pinochet is not an accident. The right wing in Chile is claiming that there is a socialist conspiracy, but if that is true it has some unlikely allies. For instance, the Archbishop of Santiago, who has stated that "the armed forces and business circles should be ashamed that they supported Pinochet" and that Spain shouldn't be seeking to bring him to justice because "it should have happened in Chile".

The Socialist-led government in coalition with the Christian Democrats has argued for Pinochet to be returned to Chile, reflecting the extent to which by their compromise with the 1980 Constitution they have lost both the will and the courage to see Pinochet brought to account for his crimes.

The circumstances leading to Pinochet's arrest do however indicate that some trap had been laid for him. His advisers must have been aware of the risks given that he had been refused a visa by France and other European countries. Pinochet's former Minister of (in)Justice has accused his advisers of using him as bait to test the water given the increasing calls for the establishment of an International Court of Human Rights. This would make it impossible for his accomplices to leave Chile for fear of being apprehended. There never was a case for his needing medical treatment in Britain as adequate facilities together with competent doctors exist in the military hospitals in Chile. It must also have been known that the diplomatic passports, issued quite freely to members of the armed forces and civil servants, could not be guaranteed to provide immunity against charges of torture, genocide and flagrant abuse of human rights.

So what is the source of Pinochet's unpopularity among his former associates? In essence, Pinochet has been attempting to distance himself from the events of his dictatorship and to claim superhero status as the man who saved the Chilean nation, the patriarch of the transition to democracy. He has, for instance, pledged his support to the CD presidential candidate, Andres Zaldivar, in next year's elections. This has caused outrage in the far right RN&UDI party, whose candidate he might have been expected to endorse.

Earlier this year Pinochet attempted to blame his Chief of Intelligence, Contreras, for the appalling crimes of his regime. This was the man who boasted to Pinochet at breakfast each morning of how many people he had tortured, killed and detained while Pinochet slept. Pinochet for his part claimed that "not a leaf could turn in Chile without him being aware of it". While Pinochet withdrew his accusation, his two sons have continued efforts to distance their father from the horrors of his regime.

The effect of all this has been to unite the right in Chile, led by the hardliners in the army and the intelligence service. The vast majority of Chileans, notwithstanding over two hundred death threats, are delighted that Pinochet may at last be brought to justice, reflecting the frustrations they have experienced over twenty-five years. They hope that the Spanish judges will be successful and highlight to the world that Chile is still a place where there is no justice.

A loose coalition of left and progressive forces including left wing Socialist Party members, Greens and some trade unions are calling for a revision of the 1980 Constitution by which Pinochet gave himself and his associates immunity, along with sinecures as senators for life. They are seeking to recall the Constituent Assembly in order to abolish these privileges, as well as the National Security Council appointed by Pinochet, which has the power to take over the country in any crisis. The 1980 Constitution has been a disaster because it has left the army indirectly in control of the country and intimidated the government into refusing to challenge the legacy of Pinochet's vicious regime.

Nothing will ever bring back my "disappeared" comrades, but the events of recent weeks provide a real opportunity for justice to be done as partial recompense for their suffering. In the end, we must show that Pinochet and his kind have no place to hide.

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