Dear friend,
A GREAT COMMON EFFORT IS NECESSARY TO, IF POSSIBLE, INNUNDATE JACK STRAW
WITH OUR PETITIONS SO THE PROCESS OF EXTRADITION TO SPAIN FOLLOWS A NORMAL
COURSE. THIS HAS TO BE DONE NOW. WE HAVE A VERY SHORT DELAY (UNTIL TUESDAY
(today I think)), AND IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO SEND THE LETTER THAT FOLLOWS TO
<[log in to unmask]>, IT IS NECESSARY THAT YOU SEND IT IMMEDIATELY TO ALL
YOUR CONTACTS SO THAT THEY HAVE THE TIME TO SEND IT, AS WELL AS TO THEIR
CONTACTS, ETC...
PLEASE, EVEN IF YOU'RE TIRED, DON'T LEAVE IT FOR TOMORROW, DO IT NOW AND
MAYBE OUR COMMON ACTION WILL PUT JUSTICE TO OUR SIDE AND SO CONTRIBUTE TO
THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BETTER WORLD WHERE TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE RIGHTS AND
DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON ARE RESPECTED.
Thanks for your attention
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: [log in to unmask]
Subjet: Pinochet
Date: Jan 19, 2000
The Rt. Hon.
Jack Straw, MP
Secretary of State for Home Affairs
Home Office
50 Queen Anne's Gate
London SW1H 9AT, UK
Dear Secretary of State,
We know how delicate your position is and what pressures are exerted
on you from all sides. Yet we cannot accept that you consider
releasing Sr Pinochet on grounds of his poor health. What precedence
is there for a war criminal to be released because he may not stand
the strain of a trial?
Sr Pinochet would be released on compassionate grounds, thus depriving
his victims and theirs relatives and friends, or citizens of the
world, of ever seeing justice done, while those he had tortured and
assassinated never had the benefit of either compassion or a fair
trial.
Besides, we are convinced that the "humanitarian" question raised
about Sr Pinochet has already been answered in so far as Spanish Penal
Law has established sufficiently comfortable forms of emprisonment for
people over 70 and we consequently consider that no additional measure
is called for on the part of British authorities to meet this demand
for compassion.
So far we had admired your unwavering support to the cause of justice.
Yet, as you now win Mrs Thatcher's approval, you may be condemning
Pinochet's victims and the relatives and friends of those he had
killed to renewed moral torture, in a most literal sense (cf. European
Court for Human Rights, case of "Kurt vs. Turkey" - 25 May 1998), a
torture that has already lasted for 25 years and in some cases has
gravely impaired the survivors' health.
It still seems to us that the only possibility for Justice to be done
is for the former dictator to be tried in Spain. We would have
preferred a trial in Chile, but whatever the current government now
claims, it seems impossible under the present circunstances (cf. the
report produced by the International Federation of the Leagues of
Human Rights - March 1999). Any suggestion that he should be tried
either by the International Penal Tribunal or in Chile is a dilatory
move that would result in removing him from the hold of European
Justice. Besides, we cannot quite understand why he should be too
frail to stand a trial in Spain, but not to face a transtlantic flight
and a trial in Chile.
We therefore trust that you will resume your former position and
support the demand for Sr Pinochet to be tried. Human Rights are not
patient of a third way. They demand Truth and Justice.
Yours sincerely,
(TU NOMBRE)
(TU DIRECCIÓN)
(CIUDAD, PAIS)
********************************************************************************
Ainhoa de Federico de la Rúa
Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille (France)
Universidad Pública de Navarra (Spain)
IN FRANCE:
Institut Fédératif de Recherche sur les Economies et les Sociétés Industrielles
(IFRESI)
2 rue des Canonniers
59000 Lille
FRANCE
TEL: +33-(0)3.20.12.58.61
FAX: +33-(0)3.20.12.58.31
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
IN SPAIN:
Paseo de la Universidad, 16
31192 Mutilva Baja
ESPAÑA
TEL: +34-948.15.26.12
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|