[Newsbot]

<strong>Filibuster Cartoon</strong>
<strong>Title: </strong> <a href="http://www.filibustercartoons.com/archive.php?id=20061210" target="_blank">Pinochet dies</a> (click to view)
<strong>Date: </strong> December 10, 2006

Augusto Pinochet, former Chilean dictator, has died at age 91. <br> <br>Pinochet has been out of power for 14 years, and there have been numerous on-again off-again attempts to persecute him for the crimes he committed while in office. Of course, as seems to be the case with most dictators on trial, none of this ultimately went anywhere, and Pinochet was able to die a free man.

[Rhoffman]

The whole situation's sickening in every sense of the word, as I've already said.

EDIT: Though I just noticed a few grammar problems..... the snail should say "outrun me" and the Real Story should be "prosecute" and not "persecute."

[Murray_Smith]

I really, really wish I could say I'm surprised.

[Prestwick]

It was an extraordinary saga and raised a whole number of questions. One of them for example was "should a foreign citizen visiting the UK be arrested and extradited to another, 3rd party nation to be tried for crimes comitted in his home nation?"

The answer for now, in the UK at least if not other countries with similar legal systems, is no. Whether that is right or wrong, I cannot really be certain of saying.

[BartSimpson]

Prestwick wrote:

It was an extraordinary saga and raised a whole number of questions. One of them for example was "should a foreign citizen visiting the UK be arrested and extradited to another, 3rd party nation to be tried for crimes comitted in his home nation?"

The answer for now, in the UK at least if not other countries with similar legal systems, is no. Whether that is right or wrong, I cannot really be certain of saying.

The better question is do you want Brits, Canadians, or Americans who visit select countries arrested and extradited to third-party nations that want to prosecute them? How many reporters would be executed with this asinine precedent in place? Not to mention former heads of state.

Imagine Bill Clinton being extradited to Sudan or Yugoslavia for his war crimes against those countries? What happens when the person being prosecuted is someone you like?

[Prestwick]

Well that is essentially the same question with a more emotional leaning. The result anyway from the Law Lords was that this was not legal under any circumstances in a vote I believe was 3 to 1.

As every legal decision in a High Court or with the Law Lords becomes law, this firmly shuts the door on any other dodgy 3rd world tin pot dictators from being arrested for extradition under those circumstances.

[JJ]

At lest in Britain! I understand a lot of controversial ex world leaders avoid visiting many countries in Europe out of similar fears.

[Prestwick]

Oh definetly. European nations have a nasty habit of letting judges run wild and letting them indict whoever they want (as long as there is the evidence of course).

Why do you think Harry Kissinger dosen't go to Europe any more? He'd have every Judge from Scandinavia to Turkey after him for various foreign policy gaffes in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Eastern Pakistan, Vietnam, Africa, East Timor...

[Johnny_100_Pesos]

My wife is Chilean, and she wept when Pinochet died, she feels that she owes her life to him.

The man took power in a country on the verge of violent revolution, and he restored peace and prosperity. You think the people who disappeared were just innocent bystanders? They were armed rebels intent on destroying everything good in Chile! My wife's family was held at gunpoint by these "victims", and so when Pinochet put an end to their threat, it was a good thing. The fact is that his actions saved more lives then the number that were killed by his forces.

The truth of the matter is that Pinochet saved Chile. And when the threat was (mostly) over, He called for a plebescite, in which most Chileans confirmed they wanted him in power. A few years after that, he wrote the constitution, and called for democratic elections. And when voted out of office, he quietly stepped down, and assumed a role as Senator (customary for outgoing presidents).

Just look at what is happening there now: Those who are against Pinochet are burning, violently rioting, and looting their cities. Those who were for him are a far more civilized lot, quietly mourning their savour.

[Beldar2000]

Yes, that's the strange thing about Pinochet: unlike most other dictators who people are genuinely happy to see go, Pinochet did have the genuine support of a significant part of the population, especially with his law-and-order and economic policies.

[Prestwick]

Marshal Tito of Yugoslava is revered with a similar passion in the Balkans for his insistence of forcing various ethnic groups together.

Both are very controversial figures and are thus, very interesting.

[Pitchfork]

Prestwick wrote:

Marshal Tito of Yugoslava is revered with a similar passion in the Balkans for his insistence of forcing various ethnic groups together.

Is he revered throughout the Balkans? Or just by the Serbs?

[Prestwick]

The man was actually a Croat.

He was liked more for preventing bloodshed from breaking out, holding the nation together and creating possibly one of the most prosperous Socialist states in the eastern bloc. Also, he made it easier for Yugoslavians to travel freely around Europe and the world as well as encouraging investment in Yugoslavia itself.

It was so successful economically, you could argue thats why it was thrown out of the Warsaw Pact! Okay, maybe I was being sarcastic on that one there.

To his credit though, he was one of the few people to have the balls to stand up to Stalin when he pulled out of Cominform.

Marshall Tito wrote:

"Stop sending people to kill me! If you don't stop sending killers, I'll send one to Moscow, and I won't have to send a second."

The main detractor here was that he, like other dictators, also abused power. People died, there was another reason why Yugoslavia managed to stay together: the man used the millitary and the secret police to punish anyone, Serb, Bosnian or Croat who dared speak of succession.

Still though, he is still kind of liked across the former Yugoslavia. In Macedonia, they will erect a statue of the man in the capital, Skopje.