per l'estradizione a Pinochet

["Olivier Turquet" <turquet at dada.it>]

Ciao a tutti,
e' in corso una petizione al Segretario di Stato britannico Jack Straw per 
sollecitare l'estradizione in Spagna di Pinochet, promossa da numerose 
associazioni tra cui gli umanisti cileni.
Si tratta di mandare via email questa lettera all'indirizzo:
gen.ho at gtnet.gov.uk

il tutto prima di martedi' prossimo 25 Gennaio.
Passate parola
Ciao Olivier

--------------------------------
The Rt. Hon.
Jack Straw, MP
Secretary of State for Home Affairs
Home Office
50 Queen Anne's Gate
London SW1H 9AT

Dear Mr. Secretary of State:

We know how delicate your position is and what pressures are exerted
on you from all sides. Yet we cannot accept that you consider releasing Sr
Pinochet on grounds of his poor health. What precedent is there for a war
criminal to be released because he may not stand the strain of a trial?

Sr Pinochet would be released on compassionate grounds, thus
depriving his victims and theirs relatives and friends, or citizens of the
world, of ever seeing justice done, while those he had tortured and
assassinated never had the benefit of either compassion or a fair trial.

Besides, we are convinced that the "humanitarian" question raised
about Sr Pinochet has already been answered insofar as Spanish Penal Law
has established sufficiently comfortable forms of emprisonment for people
over 70 and we consequently consider that no additional measure is called
for on the part of British authorities to meet this demand for compassion.

So far we had admired your unwavering support to the cause of
justice. Yet, as you now win Mrs Thatcher's approval, you may be
condemning Pinochet's victims and the relatives and friends of those he
had killed to renewed moral torture, in a most literal sense (cf. European
Court for Human Rights, case of "Kurt vs. Turkey" - 25 May 1998), torture
that has already lasted for 25 years and in some cases has gravely
impaired the survivors' health.

It still seems to us that the only possibility for Justice to be done is
for the former dictator to be tried in Spain. We would have preferred a
trial in Chile, but whatever the current government now claims, it seems
impossible under the present circunstances (cf. the report produced by the
International Federation of the Leagues of Human Rights - March 1999). Any
suggestion that he should be tried either by the International Penal
Tribunal or in Chile is a dilatory move that would result in removing him
from the hold of European Justice. Besides, we cannot quite understand why
he should be too frail to stand a trial in Spain, but not to face a
transtlantic flight and a trial in Chile.

We therefore trust that you will resume your former position and
support the demand for Sr Pinochet to be tried. Human Rights are not
patient of a third way. They demand Truth and Justice.

Yours sincerely,

Nome, indirizzo, citta', Paese

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