Geneva - Prominent international jurists active in human rights issues have disputed a British High Court ruling in favour of former Chilean dictator Gen Augusto Pinochet and said it went against international treaties. A spokesman for the International Commission of Jurists, a Geneva-based group of 42 eminent lawyers worldwide who promote the rule of law, said the decision encouraged impunity. The court ruled on Wednesday that Gen Pinochet (82) was immune from civil or criminal prosecution because he was head of state when his alleged crimes were committed. It was a victory for Gen Pinochet's attempt to avoid extradition to Spain and possible prosecution on charges of genocide and torture.
The Spanish press has condemned the ruling, one paper describing it as "extraordinary and dangerous". "The United Kingdom could become the paradise of all ousted dictators," wrote the Madrid-based daily El Mundo, in the fiercest editorial on the issue. The centre-left El Pais also assailed the ruling, which it said "would have stopped the Allies judging Hitler at Nuremberg if they had been able to catch him alive".
The Spanish judge who ordered the arrest of Gen Pinochet faced a new challenge yesterday as a panel of jurists debated his right to investigate crimes committed in other countries. Judge Baltasar Garzon has vowed to press on seeking Gen Pinochet's extradition to Spain.