Exorcising the Ghost of Pinochet

The detention of General Augusto Pinochet in London in 1998 on an extradition petition form a Spanish Court opened a new phase in Chile's transition to democracy as well a a anew phase in the evolution of international human rights law. Though the case never came to trial, the media attention that accompanied it and the decisions taken with respect to liability and jurisdictional issues have already had a major impact. Despite the ultimate decision of the Chilean Supreme Court that Pinochet was not liable to prosecution due to mental incapacitation, it appears that decision taken in Europe forced Chilean media and academia to deal with the crimes of his regime; freed former victims to come forward with cases previously unreported; and caused judges, politicians , and active duty military officers finally to distance themselves from 'El Jefe'. The indictment of Pinochet forced Chileans still in denial to acknowledge the abuses of the regime, and began to liberate from their own social isolation and self-doubt those who had suffered so much for being right.