Augusto Pinochet

We rejoice in the news that Augusto Pinochet, the brutal and unrepentant ex-dictator of Chile, has been refused permission by Britain’s Law Lords to return to Chile (March 25). He now faces extradition to Spain, where he has been charged with crimes against humanity.

Now, what about the U.S.? Will Atty. Gen. Janet Reno issue arrest warrants against Pinochet for the car bomb assassination of Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt in Washington and the summary executions in the Santiago soccer stadium of Californian Frank Teruggi, a UC Santa Barbara student, and Charles Horman, another young American activist (see the movie “Missing,” starring Jack Lemmon as Horman’s father)?

Considering the U.S. government’s active support for Pinochet’s bloody coup against the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende in 1973, this is the least the Clinton administration could do to make amends. Will President Clinton follow through on his apology and promise in Central America just two weeks ago that the U.S. will no longer support military dictatorships in the region? Will he show that he means business by starting legal proceedings for extraditing Pinochet here to the U.S.?

CLIVE LEEMAN

Ojai

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Lord Chief Justice Nicolas Browne-Wilkinson was irresponsible when he called for British Home Secretary Jack Straw to reconsider proceeding with the Pinochet extradition after most of the charges had been dropped.

If 29 out of 30 murder charges against a defendant were dropped because of a legal technicality, would you drop the 30th murder charge? How could you explain to the family of the 30th victim that, taken alone, the murder of their loved one was too insignificant to prosecute?

ERIC CROWTHER

Los Angeles