Letter: Lost generation

Sir: Regarding the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Augusto Pinochet in London, the Relatives of the Disappeared Detainees of Chile believe it necessary to make our position known to the British public.

The British community cannot forget that in Chile more than 3,000 disappeared detainees and political executions were the result of the military dictatorship for which, until now, there has been no justice.

We, the relatives of the victims, have fought without rest to see that those responsible for human rights violations do not go unpunished.

The judicial case initiated in Spain, the detention of the dictator in your country, recognition of the competence of Judge Baltazar Garzn and the various petitions for the extradition of Pinochet from Europe and the international community have strengthened our hope and our trust in the justice for which we have fought for so long and which has been denied us in Chile until today.

We hope anxiously and with renewed trust that the verdict of the House of Lords will recognize that crimes against humanity, genocide and state terrorism cannot be permitted under any circumstances, much less justified by invoking reasons of state to murder, torture and enforce disappearances of the population.

The immunity of the head of state cannot be extended to such crimes. To permit this would leave humanity itself defenceless.

It is necessary that Pinochet be extradited and judged in Spain because in our country the conditions do not exist which would require him to answer for his crimes.

For this reason, the British judicial system and government have a great historical responsibility regarding the verdict pending in the House of Lords.

VIVIANA DAZ C

Vice-president

HILDA SALDIVAR O

Public Relations

APOLONIA RAMIREZ C

Legal Commission

Agrupacin de Familiares de Detenidos-Desaparecidos

Santiago, Chile