Posted on 11/16/2005 1:46:42 PM PST by Borges
CHILEAN former dictator Augusto Pinochet told a judge he does not believe there were excesses during his 17-year rule, and if there were God would pardon him, a human rights lawyer said today.
"Everything I did, all my actions, all of the problems I had I dedicate to God and to Chile, because I kept Chile from becoming Communist," Pinochet told a judge regarding the 1973 military coup that launched him to power, according to Hernan Quezada.
Mr Quezada, a lawyer who represents families of human rights victims, said he viewed transcripts of Judge Victor Montiglio's recent interrogations of Pinochet.
"I regret and suffer those losses, but it's God's will. He will pardon me if I committed excesses, but I don't think I did," Pinochet told Judge Montiglio, Mr Quezada said.
Judge Montiglio is prosecuting a human rights case known as Operation Colombo, in which 119 leftists died in 1975. Pinochet is accused of responsibility in the deaths and of planting false press reports saying the armed rebels killed each other.
Judge Montiglio has questioned Pinochet in his Santiago home three times recently as he weighs issuing a formal indictment.
Pinochet, 89 and now completely sidelined from Chilean politics, ruled the country from 1973 to 1990, a period when more than 3000 people died in political violence and tens of thousands more were tortured or exiled.
The Supreme Court has removed Pinochet's immunity from prosecution in a handful of human rights cases, but he has never been tried because of mild dementia caused by frequent mini-strokes related to diabetes.
Judge Montiglio in recent weeks ordered Pinochet, who also has heart problems, to undergo psychiatric and physical exams.
"The examinations prove conclusively that from a psychiatric standpoint, Pinochet is a normal person who is capable of withstanding a judicial process," Mr Quezada said.
Pinochet would be tried under Chile's old judicial system, which does not have open court hearings, just private interviews that the prosecuting judge reviews on paper.
"The experts all agree that in these exams Pinochet ... tried to make the symptoms of his neurological illness appear graver than they really are," he said.
Pinochet spokesmen were not available for comment, and his chief attorney declined to speak with reporters.
Pinochet is also being investigated on accusations of embezzlement, fraud and tax evasion in a case that involves scores of foreign bank accounts and tens of millions of dollars.
Pinochet saved his country from the Communists, fixed the economy, brought back democracy, and then voluntarily stepped down.
How many other dictators are going to step down voluntarily if Pinochet's successors, who owe their present power to him, break their word and prosecute him? This is unjust.
Pinochet is a good man. These Commies will never forgive him for giving birth to a free, prosperous Chile. They were so close to a Peoples Republic, and Pinochet messed up their plans. God bless him.
Human rights victims=Shining Path wannabes
Meanwhile, Arafat is praised to the skies despite ripping off people to the tune of a BILLION+ and killing hundreds of innocents, including Leon Klinghoffer.
bttt
The current Chilean government, of which this Supreme Court is a part, came into existence as a result of an agreement to give Pinochet immunity from prosecution in exchange for his voluntarily relinquishing power and allowing free elections.
General Pinochet did not make this agreement out of fear or from a position of weakness - he was firmly in charge at the time and did not have to do anything. He did it, however, for love of his country and his understanding that freedom and self-government was best for his people in the long run.
The Leftists have bided their time, worked their way back into power, and now, abrogated the agreement. Thus, the Chilean Supreme Court, by this perfidious act, has de-legitimized themselves and their government. They now have the power to get away with it, but they are themselves nothing more than Leftist thugs.
The lesson to be learned, once again: never, ever trust Leftists, or rely on them to honor a deal.
"Meanwhile, Arafat is praised to the skies despite ripping off people to the tune of a BILLION+ and killing hundreds of innocents, including Leon Klinghoffer."
The left hates Pinochet because he removed a communist government.
I'm suggesting that IF a dictator agrees to step down and turn his country over for free elections, and IF he is not a complete beast, and IF the people who take over agree to give him amnesty, then they should keep their word.
If you tell a dictator he will have complete amnesty if he steps down, and then break your word, it will send the messages to all dictators that there is no alternative but to remain in power.
This process has been followed in several instances. King Faroukh of Egypt was allowed to resign and go abroad with amnesty. Baby Doc of Haiti was allowed to leave with amnesty. If you don't honor the amnesty after a dictator has stepped down, then dictators will read the message and refuse to leave quietly.
I also happen to think that Pinochet did what was needed for his country. The same was true of Franco in Spain. In a revolutionary situation with civil war and violence on all sides, sometimes a dictator is the only thing possible. Franco, much as he has been maligned, stayed out of the war, kept Hitler out of Spain, took in refugees while France was sending them to the death camps, and left Spain a better place than he found it. Dictatorship is not the ideal form of government, but in some situations it may be the only available alternative for the time.
In general I agree, notigar. But Allende was a Commie. He would not have left voluntarily, the track record with them was pretty long until the collapse of the USSR. Just like Chavez will not leave voluntarily in Venezuela, I would happily support a coup by a reasonably well behaved pro-US faction. Likewise Mugabe in Zimbabwe -- elected tyrant, he has forfeited his right to rule. Yes, the vast majority of the time I have no qualm with preferring elected governments, even bad ones, to unelected ones. But I also have no problem with strategically sound action against selected pro-Commie, pro-terrorist governments, elected or not.
Allende and his other Commie cronies were planning to subvert the democratic process, were conducting a purge of the military and other branches of the govt and replacing them with people loyal only to Allende. Allende had planned for the election in which he won to be the last real, free election.
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