On 10 October 1998 a Spanish magistrate issued an arrest warrant for General Augusto Pinochet. The charge was violations of human rights. Those violations included at least 2,279 opponents who were “disappeared”, nearly 32,000 incidents of torture, and — of course — the Caravana de la Muerte, the murder squad personally appointed by Pinochet himself.
Pinochet spent sixteen months under comfortable “house arrest”, either in a London clinic or “at home” in the Surrey stockbroker belt. Eventually the British Home Secretary relented and declared Pinochet could rest at peace on the basis of ill-health.
Whatever Julian Assange has, or has not done, his alleged “crimes” in no way match those of Pinochet.
Somehow, though, the British government takes a harder line over Assange.
Can anyone suggest reasons why?
