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Home(/)>ThePinochetArrestandPossibleExtraditiontoSpain
ThePinochetArrestandPossibleExtraditiontoSpain(http://www.asil.org/insights/volume/3/issue/12/pinochetarrestandpossibleextraditionspain)[1]OnthebasisofanarrestwarrantissuedbyajudgeinSpain,BritishauthoritiesareholdingGeneralAugustoPinochet,theformerheadofstateofChile,onSpanishchargesofcrimesagainsthumanity,includinggenocideandterrorism,thatareallegedtohaveoccurredduringPinochet'sruleinChile.ItisanticipatedthatarequesttoextraditehimtoSpainwillbeforthcoming.AnySpanishrequesttoextraditePinochetwouldhavetobeconsideredunderanyextraditiontreatyinforcebetweenSpainandtheU.K.,andwouldbesubjecttoBritishlawatleasttotheextentthatitdoesnotconflictwiththeU.K.'sinternationalobligations.Inaddition,BritishauthoritiesconsideringarequestforextraditionpresumablywouldtakeintoaccountanylimitationsimposedbygeneralinternationallawonSpain'sauthoritytoprosecutePinochet.PinochetwasdetainedwhilehewasinLondonformedicaltreatment.Heholdsadiplomaticpassport,butthatdoesnotnecessarilymeanthathehasdiplomaticimmunity.SuchimmunitystemsfromtheViennaConventiononDiplomaticRelations,whichprovidesthat"Thepersonofadiplomaticagentshallbeinviolable.Heshallnotbeliabletoanyformofarrestordetention."Buta"diplomaticagent"undertheViennaConventionisdefinedas"theheadofthemissionoramemberofthediplomaticstaffofthemission."ItdoesnotappearthatPinochetcurrentlyservesastheheadormemberofthediplomaticstaffofanyChileanmission.Nordoesitappearthathewasservinginanycapacityasadiplomatwhenhewasdetained.DuringhistimeasheadoftheChileanstate,Pinochetwouldhavebeenentitledtoheadofstateimmunity,whichwouldhavemuchthesameeffectoutsidehisowncountryasdiplomaticimmunity.Itisarguablethatformerheadsofstateretaintheirimmunityevenaftertheynolongerserveinthatcapacity.Ontheotherhand,asProfessorMichaelReismanoftheYaleLawSchoolhassaid,internationallawismovinginthedirectionofnonimmunityforparticularlygravehumanrightsabusesandseriousviolationsofthelawofwarforwhichtheheadofstateisaccountable.Undergeneralinternationallaw,anyrightofSpaintoprosecutePinochet(shouldhebeextradited)woulddependinpartonwhetherSpainhadjurisdictiontoprescribetherulesthatwouldformthebasisofthechargesagainsthimrulesgoverninghisconductwhilehewastheheadofstateinChile.Thebasisforjurisdictiontoprescriberulesofconductisstrongestwhentheconduct,orinsomeinstancestheeffectoftheconduct,isintheterritoryoftheprosecutingcountry.Anotherstrongbasisariseswhentheaccusedisanationaloftheprosecutingcountry.NeitherofthesebaseswouldjustifySpain'sprosecutionofPinochet.AnotherarguablebasisforSpain'sjurisdictiontoprescriberulesofconductwouldcenteronthenationalityofanySpanishvictimsofPinochet'sactionsorexecutedpolicies.Thisbasisisquitecontroversial,however,unlessthevictimsweresingledoutbecauseoftheirSpanishnationality.Spain'sstrongestargumentappearstobethatithasjurisdictiontoprescriberulesregardingconductthatisuniversallycondemned,includinggenocideandsomeformsofterrorism,nomatterwheretheconductoccurred.Theinternationalcommunityhasrecognizeduniversaljurisdictioninsuchcases,meaningessentiallythatwhichevergovernmentobtainscustodyovertheaccusedmayprosecutehim.Butitwouldnotbeenoughsimplytoallegegenocideorterrorismasabasisforuniversaljurisdiction,withoutbeingmorespecificthanthatastowhatconstitutedtheallegedgenocideandwhatspecificterroristactswereinvolved.TheGenocideConvention(towhichChile,SpainandtheU.K.areparties)doesnotcovermurderorotherwidelycondemnedacts,evenonalargescale,unlesstheyarecommittedwithaspecificintent.TheConventiondefinesgenocideonlytomeancertainactscommittedwithintenttodestroy,inwholeorinpart,anationalethnical,racialorreligiousgroup,assuch.Ifcommittedwiththerequisiteintent,theactsincludekillingmembersofthegroup,causingseriousbodilyormentalharmtomembersofthegroup,anddeliberatelyinflictingonthegroupconditionsoflifecalculatedtobringaboutitsphysicaldestructioninwholeorinpart.Althoughsomepoliticalcrimesaregenerallytreatedasnonextraditable,genocideisnotconsideredapoliticalcrimeforextraditionpurposes.AnyallegationofterrorismagainstPinochetwouldneedtospecifytheparticularactsofterrorisminvolved,ifaconvincingcaseforuniversaljurisdictionshortofgenocideistobemaintained.OnespecificformofterrorismthathasbeendiscussedinconnectionwithPinochetissystematictortureofpoliticalopponents.Chile,SpainandtheU.K.haveallratifiedtheConventionAgainstTortureandOtherCruel,InhumanorDegradingTreatmentorPunishment.Itrequireseachstatepartytotakeeffectivemeasurestopreventandpunishactsoftortureinitsterritory.AstatesuchastheUnitedKingdom,whichfindstheallegedoffenderinitsterritory,isrequiredtoestablishitsownjurisdictionovertheoffenseunlessitextraditestheaccusedtothestatewheretheoffenseswerecommitted,thestateoftheallegedoffender'snationality,orthestateofthevictim'snationalityifthatstateconsidersit
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Topic:Topic1(http://www.asil.org/taxonomy/term/1)[2]Volume:3Issue:12Author:FredericL.Kirgis
appropriate.Thus,ifsomevictimsoftortureinChilewereSpanishnationalsandifSpainrequestsPinochet'sextraditioninthosecases,theU.K.wouldberequiredbytheTortureConventiontoextraditehimortoestablishitsownjurisdictionoverhim.(Toestablishitsownjurisdictiondoesnotnecessarilymeanthatthestateholdingtheindividualmustprosecutehim,butitdoesrequirethatthedecisiononwhetherornottoprosecutemustbemadeinthesamemannerasinthecaseofordinaryoffensesofaseriousnatureunderthelawofthatstate.)TherealsomaybeabasisforSpanishprosecutionofPinochetforcrimesagainsthumanity,whichcouldincludetorture,butwhichcouldencompassotheractsaswell.Untilrecentlyitwaswidelythoughtthatcrimesagainsthumanityincludedonlyactsdirectedagainstacivilianpopulationduringwartime.Itisincreasinglyarguablethatcustomaryinternationallawnowmaynotrequireaconnectionbetweencrimesagainsthumanityandanyarmedconflict.Inanyevent,forsuchactsasmurder,arbitraryimprisonmentandtorturetobecrimesagainsthumanity,theymustbedirectedagainstacivilianpopulationandmustbewidespreadorsystematic.Thisimpliesthattheremustbeapolicyofcommittingsuchacts,butaccordingtotheYugoslavWarCrimesTribunal,thepolicyneednotbeformalandmaybeinferredfromthemannerofcarryingouttheacts.EveniftherearepersuasivereasonstobelievethatPinochetcommittedcrimesagainsthumanityduringhistimeasheadofstateinChile,itisnotcertainthatinternationallawwouldauthorizeadomestictribunalinSpain(asdistinguishedfromaproperlyconstitutedinternationalcriminaltribunal)toprosecutehimforthosecrimes.Thequestionagainwouldbewhethersuchactsfallwithinuniversaljurisdiction.Thereislittleprecedent,butlegalopinionincreasinglyacceptsuniversaljurisdictionforindiscriminateviolentattacksonpeopleatlarge.Whetherthatincludesfocusedattacksonpoliticalopponentsisyettobedecided.Abouttheauthor:FredericL.KirgisisLawSchoolAssociationAlumniProfessoratWashingtonandLeeUniversitySchoolofLaw.HehaswrittenabookandseveralarticlesonUnitedNationslaw,andisamemberoftheBoardofEditorsoftheAmericanJournalofInternationalLaw.
RelatedTerms/AttributeTags:HumanRights(http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/humanrights)[3]InternationalCriminalLaw,Corruption,andLawEnforcement(http://www.asil.org/attributes/internationalcriminallawcorruptionandlawenforcement)[4]LatinAmericaandtheCaribbean(http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/latinamericaandcaribbean)[5]Terrorism(http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/terrorism)[6]UseofForce,andInternationalHumanitarianLaw(http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/useforceandinternationalhumanitarianlaw)[7]Date:Saturday,October31,19982:00am
SourceURL:http://www.asil.org/insights/volume/3/issue/12/pinochetarrestandpossibleextraditionspain(http://www.asil.org/insights/volume/3/issue/12/pinochetarrestandpossibleextraditionspain)Links:[1]http://www.asil.org/insights/volume/3/issue/12/pinochetarrestandpossibleextraditionspain[2]http://www.asil.org/taxonomy/term/1[3]http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/humanrights[4]http://www.asil.org/attributes/internationalcriminallawcorruptionandlawenforcement
http://www.asil.org/insights/volume/3/issue/12/pinochet-arrest-and-possible-extradition-spainhttp://www.asil.org/taxonomy/term/1http://www.asil.org/related-terms-vocabulary/latin-america-and-caribbeanhttp://www.asil.org/related-terms-vocabulary/terrorismhttp://www.asil.org/related-terms-vocabulary/human-rightshttp://www.asil.org/attributes/international-criminal-law-corruption-and-law-enforcementhttp://www.asil.org/related-terms-vocabulary/use-force-and-international-humanitarian-law
