All this is to miss the main point. Pinochet's crimes were no ordinary crimes of the maintenance of political authority in a time of turbulence. They continued until 1990, long after Pinochet announced in 1978 that the "communist threat" to Chile had ended. "The rituals of torture were intended to send horrific whispers throughout the populace," says Robertson. Pinochet, the smiling, stately, grandfather figure is also the man who personally supervised the torture operations, with the boss of the torture unit, General Manuel Contreras, reporting daily and directly to him. He is also the man who on occasion joked that the "disappearances" had saved bereaved families the cost of coffins.
The determination now to be made by the British government is arguably the most important single legal ruling that will be made by any government since the decision made to execute German and Japanese war leaders. Compassion cannot properly be offered to someone who showed not one iota of compassion to victims who included children and pregnant women. To allow Pinochet his freedom now, before the line is properly drawn in history's sands, would derail a major turning point in the world's maturing understanding of jurisprudence. Seen properly to its conclusion with a trial in Spain, it will lay down a marker for all time.
Jonathan Power is an independent columnist based in London.
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