Chile: Pinochet Arrest, 10 Years On

It's a decade since Augusto Pinochet was arrested in London, where he was receiving medical treatment. The occasion was a milestone in the treatment of former dictators and in the process of dealing with the past in the Southern Cone.

"Pinochet's arrest changed the whole conversation about upholding human rights," said Juan Mendez, president of the ICTJ (International Center for Transitional Justice). "Before it, many of us in the human rights arena were aware of the notion of universal jurisdiction, but we never really thought it would be applicable in our lifetime."

"In Chile, some of us remember where we were when Kennedy died, but all of us remember where we were when Pinochet was arrested," said Felipe Aguero, programme director of the Ford Foundation in Chile.

Legal Legacy of Pinochet's UK Arrest (BBC)

Both the BBC article and Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International UK, draw comparisons between the case of Pinochet and Milosevic, Fujimori, Liberia's Charles Taylor, and others.

Ten Years on from Pinochet's Arrest, Dictatorships Are No Longer Safe (Independent blog)

In addition, Chile has sentenced five former members of the armed forces over the killing of dissidents during the military regime:

Chile Jails Death Squad Officers (BBC)