Augusto Pinochet, 1915-2006

As many of you know, Augusto Pinochet, whom I profiled on 9/11 on this blog, died yesterday at the age of 91. He had admitted "political responsibility for everything that was done," meaning the numerous human rights abuses that he and his government were accused of. Normally, we would be advised to consider him innocent until proven guilty. However, he forced constitutional amendments that protected himself and his associates from prosecution.

We Christians believe that Pinochet will stand before the Supreme Judge, and will answer for his crimes. But, frankly, his death was a defeat for justice on earth. The international community was not able to call him to account for his crimes.

The US, despite claims to lead the world in the area of human rights, has lagged severely in the area of international law. The US ignored the decision of the International Court of Justice in the case Nicaragua vs United States; the US was found to have trained and supplied the Contras, guerilla forces fighting the legally elected leftist government, and to have placed mines in Nicaraguan territorial waters, both of which are violations of sovreignty and which should be acts of war. The US has also opposed participation in the International Criminal Court, unless the Court is dealing with enemies of the US. Congress has also passed legislation allowing the use of force to free US personnel held for trial at the Court, and allowing the US to deny military aid to countries that have ratified the treaty.

These actions are reprehensible. They will help people like Pinochet to conduct their depredations, and will shield them from punishment. The US cannot reasonably claim to be a human rights leader if this goes on. Yes, there is the possibility that US servicepeople could be unjustly prosecuted. However, combatants from any nation could be maliciously prosecuted, and the US could minimize the risk of malicious prosecution by not maliciously intervening in other countries.

A small but powerful minority of Christians are opposed to the UN and other international bodies because they interpret the Book of Revelation to refer to these bodies as being associated with Satan's rule on earth. Such a reading is based on faulty theology and poor scholarship, and is propogated by quack theologians.

Prayers for the victims of Augusto Pinochet, many of whom have been 'disappeared' with no evidence of death. Prayers also for Pinochet himself.


PS
I would like to single out two individuals who supported Pinochet. Margaret Thatcher, long-time UK Prime Minister, visited him during his house arrest and offered verbal support because he allied with Britain during the Falkland Islands conflict. The late Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize-winning economist, also supported Pinochet because of his free-market reforms in Chile, making it the most prosperous country in Latin America.

Needless to say, I would gladly condemn Baroness Thatcher to her face. I would do the same for Mr Friedman, except that he's dead.


Hamilton Spectator article
http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1165792210567&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1112101662670