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Home(/)>ThePinochetArrestandPossibleExtraditiontoSpain

ThePinochetArrestandPossibleExtraditiontoSpain
(http://www.asil.org/insights/volume/3/issue/12/pinochet
arrestandpossibleextraditionspain)
[1]

OnthebasisofanarrestwarrantissuedbyajudgeinSpain,BritishauthoritiesareholdingGeneralAugustoPinochet,theformer
headofstateofChile,onSpanishchargesofcrimesagainsthumanity,includinggenocideandterrorism,thatareallegedtohave
occurredduringPinochet'sruleinChile.ItisanticipatedthatarequesttoextraditehimtoSpainwillbeforthcoming.

AnySpanishrequesttoextraditePinochetwouldhavetobeconsideredunderanyextraditiontreatyinforcebetweenSpainand
theU.K.,andwouldbesubjecttoBritishlawatleasttotheextentthatitdoesnotconflictwiththeU.K.'sinternationalobligations.In
addition,Britishauthoritiesconsideringarequestforextraditionpresumablywouldtakeintoaccountanylimitationsimposedby
generalinternationallawonSpain'sauthoritytoprosecutePinochet.

PinochetwasdetainedwhilehewasinLondonformedicaltreatment.Heholdsadiplomaticpassport,butthatdoesnotnecessarily
meanthathehasdiplomaticimmunity.SuchimmunitystemsfromtheViennaConventiononDiplomaticRelations,whichprovides
that"Thepersonofadiplomaticagentshallbeinviolable.Heshallnotbeliabletoanyformofarrestordetention."Buta
"diplomaticagent"undertheViennaConventionisdefinedas"theheadofthemissionoramemberofthediplomaticstaffofthe
mission."ItdoesnotappearthatPinochetcurrentlyservesastheheadormemberofthediplomaticstaffofanyChileanmission.
Nordoesitappearthathewasservinginanycapacityasadiplomatwhenhewasdetained.

DuringhistimeasheadoftheChileanstate,Pinochetwouldhavebeenentitledtoheadofstateimmunity,whichwouldhavemuch
thesameeffectoutsidehisowncountryasdiplomaticimmunity.Itisarguablethatformerheadsofstateretaintheirimmunityeven
aftertheynolongerserveinthatcapacity.Ontheotherhand,asProfessorMichaelReismanoftheYaleLawSchoolhassaid,
internationallawismovinginthedirectionofnonimmunityforparticularlygravehumanrightsabusesandseriousviolationsofthe
lawofwarforwhichtheheadofstateisaccountable.

Undergeneralinternationallaw,anyrightofSpaintoprosecutePinochet(shouldhebeextradited)woulddependinparton
whetherSpainhadjurisdictiontoprescribetherulesthatwouldformthebasisofthechargesagainsthimrulesgoverninghis
conductwhilehewastheheadofstateinChile.Thebasisforjurisdictiontoprescriberulesofconductisstrongestwhenthe
conduct,orinsomeinstancestheeffectoftheconduct,isintheterritoryoftheprosecutingcountry.Anotherstrongbasisarises
whentheaccusedisanationaloftheprosecutingcountry.NeitherofthesebaseswouldjustifySpain'sprosecutionofPinochet.

AnotherarguablebasisforSpain'sjurisdictiontoprescriberulesofconductwouldcenteronthenationalityofanySpanishvictims
ofPinochet'sactionsorexecutedpolicies.Thisbasisisquitecontroversial,however,unlessthevictimsweresingledoutbecause
oftheirSpanishnationality.

Spain'sstrongestargumentappearstobethatithasjurisdictiontoprescriberulesregardingconductthatisuniversally
condemned,includinggenocideandsomeformsofterrorism,nomatterwheretheconductoccurred.Theinternationalcommunity
hasrecognizeduniversaljurisdictioninsuchcases,meaningessentiallythatwhichevergovernmentobtainscustodyoverthe
accusedmayprosecutehim.Butitwouldnotbeenoughsimplytoallegegenocideorterrorismasabasisforuniversaljurisdiction,
withoutbeingmorespecificthanthatastowhatconstitutedtheallegedgenocideandwhatspecificterroristactswereinvolved.

TheGenocideConvention(towhichChile,SpainandtheU.K.areparties)doesnotcovermurderorotherwidelycondemnedacts,
evenonalargescale,unlesstheyarecommittedwithaspecificintent.TheConventiondefinesgenocideonlytomeancertainacts
committedwithintenttodestroy,inwholeorinpart,anationalethnical,racialorreligiousgroup,assuch.Ifcommittedwiththe
requisiteintent,theactsincludekillingmembersofthegroup,causingseriousbodilyormentalharmtomembersofthegroup,and
deliberatelyinflictingonthegroupconditionsoflifecalculatedtobringaboutitsphysicaldestructioninwholeorinpart.Although
somepoliticalcrimesaregenerallytreatedasnonextraditable,genocideisnotconsideredapoliticalcrimeforextradition
purposes.

AnyallegationofterrorismagainstPinochetwouldneedtospecifytheparticularactsofterrorisminvolved,ifaconvincingcasefor
universaljurisdictionshortofgenocideistobemaintained.Onespecificformofterrorismthathasbeendiscussedinconnection
withPinochetissystematictortureofpoliticalopponents.Chile,SpainandtheU.K.haveallratifiedtheConventionAgainstTorture
andOtherCruel,InhumanorDegradingTreatmentorPunishment.Itrequireseachstatepartytotakeeffectivemeasuresto
preventandpunishactsoftortureinitsterritory.AstatesuchastheUnitedKingdom,whichfindstheallegedoffenderinits
territory,isrequiredtoestablishitsownjurisdictionovertheoffenseunlessitextraditestheaccusedtothestatewheretheoffenses
werecommitted,thestateoftheallegedoffender'snationality,orthestateofthevictim'snationalityifthatstateconsidersit

appropriate.Thus,ifsomevictimsoftortureinChilewereSpanishnationalsandifSpainrequestsPinochet'sextraditioninthose
cases,theU.K.wouldberequiredbytheTortureConventiontoextraditehimortoestablishitsownjurisdictionoverhim.(To
establishitsownjurisdictiondoesnotnecessarilymeanthatthestateholdingtheindividualmustprosecutehim,butitdoesrequire
thatthedecisiononwhetherornottoprosecutemustbemadeinthesamemannerasinthecaseofordinaryoffensesofaserious
natureunderthelawofthatstate.)

TherealsomaybeabasisforSpanishprosecutionofPinochetforcrimesagainsthumanity,whichcouldincludetorture,butwhich
couldencompassotheractsaswell.Untilrecentlyitwaswidelythoughtthatcrimesagainsthumanityincludedonlyactsdirected
againstacivilianpopulationduringwartime.Itisincreasinglyarguablethatcustomaryinternationallawnowmaynotrequirea
connectionbetweencrimesagainsthumanityandanyarmedconflict.Inanyevent,forsuchactsasmurder,arbitraryimprisonment
andtorturetobecrimesagainsthumanity,theymustbedirectedagainstacivilianpopulationandmustbewidespreador
systematic.Thisimpliesthattheremustbeapolicyofcommittingsuchacts,butaccordingtotheYugoslavWarCrimesTribunal,
thepolicyneednotbeformalandmaybeinferredfromthemannerofcarryingouttheacts.

EveniftherearepersuasivereasonstobelievethatPinochetcommittedcrimesagainsthumanityduringhistimeasheadofstate
inChile,itisnotcertainthatinternationallawwouldauthorizeadomestictribunalinSpain(asdistinguishedfromaproperly
constitutedinternationalcriminaltribunal)toprosecutehimforthosecrimes.Thequestionagainwouldbewhethersuchactsfall
withinuniversaljurisdiction.Thereislittleprecedent,butlegalopinionincreasinglyacceptsuniversaljurisdictionforindiscriminate
violentattacksonpeopleatlarge.Whetherthatincludesfocusedattacksonpoliticalopponentsisyettobedecided.

Abouttheauthor:
FredericL.KirgisisLawSchoolAssociationAlumniProfessoratWashingtonandLeeUniversitySchoolofLaw.Hehaswrittena
bookandseveralarticlesonUnitedNationslaw,andisamemberoftheBoardofEditorsoftheAmericanJournalofInternational
Law.
Image:

Topic:Topic1(http://www.asil.org/taxonomy/term/1)[2]
Volume:3
Issue:12
Author:FredericL.Kirgis
RelatedTerms/AttributeTags:
HumanRights(http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/humanrights)[3]
InternationalCriminalLaw,Corruption,andLawEnforcement(http://www.asil.org/attributes/internationalcriminallawcorruption
andlawenforcement)[4]
LatinAmericaandtheCaribbean(http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/latinamericaandcaribbean)[5]
Terrorism(http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/terrorism)[6]
UseofForce,andInternationalHumanitarianLaw(http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/useforceandinternational
humanitarianlaw)[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

[5]http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/latinamericaandcaribbean
[6]http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/terrorism
[7]http://www.asil.org/relatedtermsvocabulary/useforceandinternationalhumanitarianlaw