Confronting Challenges to the Pinochet Precedent
and the Globalization of Justice
Tuesday, February 3,
3 pm - 5 pm
AU Washington College of Law,
4801 Massachusetts Ave, NW Rm 603
Washington, D.C. 20016
| Press Release |
In February, the Center co-sponsored a roundtable entitled Confronting Challenges to the Pinochet Precedent and the Globalization of Justice with the Institute for Policy Studies. The 1998 arrest in London of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet represented one of the most important events in international human rights law since the Nuremberg Trials. The precedent set by the legal proceedings against Pinochet led to a chain reaction of cases against human rights abusers in Latin America and around the world.
Examining the ways that other dictators have been held accountable for their crimes is a good way to begin the discussion about Saddam Hussein. The arrest of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in London in 1998 on charges brought by a Spanish judge represented an important change in international law, setting off a chain reaction of new trials against human rights abusers in Latin America and around the world. In recent years, however, several of these cases have faced serious setbacks, highlighting the difficulties of moving towards greater globalization of justice.Participants discussed ways that lawyers and human rights advocates continue to build on the precedent set by the case against Pinochet, as well as recent challenges to international efforts to hold dictators and war criminals legally accountable for their crimes. Panelists included:
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Joan Garcés, attorney who brought the case against Pinochet in Spain
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Reed Brody, Special Counsel for International Prosecutions, Human Rights Watch
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Peter Weiss, VP, Center for Constitutional Rights
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Diane Orentlicher, Professor of Law, AU Washington College of Law
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Richard Wilson, Professor of Law, AU Washington College of Law
Co-sponsored by the Center for Human RIghts
and
The Institute for Policy Studies
