Augusto Pinochet as a Subject of Justice: From Dictator to Defendant There are names in the history of international law that become milestones. The name of Augusto Pinochet is one of them. The former Chilean dictator, who ruled from 1973 to 1990, became more than just an accused of crimes against humanity. He became a symbol of the shift from an era of dictator immunity to an era of international justice. His arrest in London in 1998, the lengthy legal battles, and his dramatic return to Chile all transformed him into a unique subject of justice that still elicits controversy, admiration, and condemnation. 1973–1990: The Dictatorship That Cannot Be Forgotten Augusto Pinochet came to power on September 11, 1973, in a military coup that overthrew the democratically elected president Salvador Allende. Seventeen years of his rule were a time of systematic human rights violations. According to official commissions, more than 3,000 people were killed or \"disappeared\" during the dictatorship, tens of thousands were subjected to torture, and hundreds of thousands were forced to leave the country. The secret police DINA created by him terrorized not only Chile but also other countries — within the framework of Operation Condor, southern American dictatorships coordinated the persecution of political opponents across the continent. In 1978, Pinochet issued a decree of amnesty that was supposed to permanently protect him and his subordinates from prosecution. In 1988, after losing a referendum, he left the presidency but remained the commander-in-chief of the army and then a lifelong senator. This status gave him parliamentary immunity, which became his main protection from justice for a long time. The Arrest in London: A Moment That Changed Everything On October 16, 1998, in one of the London clinics on Harley Street, police arrested the 82-year-old former dictator. Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón accused Pinochet of genocide, terrorism, and torture committed in Chile from ... Read more