Pinochet Foes Celebrate Anniversary of Arrest
Human rights activists carried a giant mock birthday cake through the streets of Santiago on Saturday on the first anniversary of Britain’s arrest of former dictator Augusto Pinochet.
About 3,000 Pinochet opponents beat drums and danced in a Rio-style carnival, marching down the Chilean capital’s main street. Leading the celebratory parade was an anti-Pinochet activist inside a cage on the back of a pickup truck, wearing a latex mask depicting Pinochet and a striped jailhouse suit, and carrying a ball and chain.
At the same time, the ailing Pinochet’s followers attended a Roman Catholic Mass to pray for his health and early return to Chile.
Pinochet, 83, was arrested Oct. 16, 1998, while in London recuperating from back surgery. He was detained at the request of a Spanish judge who wants Pinochet extradited to Madrid to face charges of torture. More than 3,000 political foes died or disappeared during Pinochet’s 1973-90 rule.
A British magistrate ruled last week that Pinochet can be extradited, but his lawyers planned to appeal the decision.
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