Over at Open House Kate Allen celebrates an anniversary for it was on this date 10 years ago that according to Allen,dictators realised that they were no longer safe.
General Pinochet was arrested in the Uk whilst getting some medical treatment.He was charged with crimes against humanity but he escaped justice on the grounds of ill health.
Nevertheless Allen sees it as a pivotal moment
His arrest provided some respite for the victims and their families. Survivors and their families rallied to pursue justice with renewed vigour, and with the knowledge that the international community was fully supporting their case.and she adds
Globally, world leaders realised that their position could no longer shield them from being brought to task by international justice, and it wasn’t long before more international charges were brought against heads of states.
Less than a year after General Pinochet’s arrest, the president of former Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosevic became the first sitting head of state to be charged with crimes under international law. And in 2003, the internationally recognised Special Court for Sierra Leone indicted the former president of Liberia, Charles Taylor, with 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity against the people of Sierra Leone.
No comments:
Post a Comment