Chilean Human Rights Violations Had An Undoubted...

The case about Chilean human rights violations had an undoubted international significance. Its highest point came with the arrest of General Pinochet in London in 1998, at the request of arrest warrant and subsequent processing issued by Judge Garzà ³n. The detention lasted for 503 days; nearly a year and a half that gave rise to several judicial and political actions and reactions that serve as the basis of understanding of the topic of the essay. On the one hand, the debate on universal jurisdiction and protection of human rights was intensified both internationally and domestically. On the other hand, different attitudes become evident within Spain: were actors like Castresana, Garzà ³n and Garcà ©s who pushed and pressured for the process (largely motivated by the various associations of victims), while the Prosecutor and the Government showed a somewhat reluctant and even contrary position to it. Without going into further details about British courts decisions, it suffices to recall that the House of Lords Committee finally decided that Pinochet had no criminal immunity and that his extradition was possible . Nonetheless, a political decision based on humanitarian grounds freed Pinochet, who returned to Chile when some legal proceedings had already initiated to investigate human rights violations occurred during both the coup and Pinochet’s mandate, and he was finally put into trial. Once again, external pressures were significant factors when promoting domestic