Amnesty International responds to Pinochet's death

Poetic irony: Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet died yesterday, December 10, which is International Human Rights Day.

Below is a statement from Amnesty International regarding Pinochet's death.

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Augusto Pinochet's death must not close the darkest chapter in Chile's history.

Amnesty International urges the Chilean authorities to declare the amnesty law void and permit investigation and protection of all those others who were involved in the thousands of cases of disappearances, torture and extrajudicial executions.

Families and survivors need to know what happened, they need justice and need their day in court.

Pinochet's death should be a wake-up call for the authorities in Chile and for governments everywhere, reminding them of the importance of speedy justice for human rights crimes, something Pinochet himself has now escaped.

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Further information: Key events involving Augusto Pinochet from July 1996 to December 2006