Chilean ex-dictator's daughter seeks asylum in US

[Judi Lynn]

Chilean ex-dictator's daughter seeks asylum in US (Roundup)
Jan 25, 2006, 23:32 GMT



A file photograph dated 20 December 2004 of Lucia Pinochet Hiriart, the eldest daughter of former dictator Augusto Pinochet who was detained Wednesday 25 January 2006 at the Dulles International Airport in Washington after fleeing her homeland to avoid prosecution on tax evasion charges, the Chilean government said.

Government spokesman Osvaldo Puccio said Lucia Pinochet was detained at Dulles International Airport in pursuant of a warrant issued by Chilean Judge Carlos Cerda, investigating magistrate in the case involving the alleged Pinochet's multi-million dollar fortune discovered stashed abroad. EPA/IAN SALAS

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Santiago de Chile - The oldest daughter of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has asked for political asylum in the United States, Chile's Interior Minister Saline Francisco Vidal said late Wednesday.

The minister said the US embassy in Santiago had officially informed the government of Chile of the request.

Earlier media reports in Chile said that Ines Lucia Pinochet Hiriart was detained Wednesday while trying to enter the United States at Washington's main international airport, media reports said.

Ines Lucia Pinochet Hiriart was stopped shortly after arriving on a plane from Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital, Chilean government spokesman Osvaldo Puccio was quoted as saying.
(snip/...)

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/southamerica/article_1079706.php/Chilean_ex-dictators_daughter_seeks_asylum_in_US__Roundup_

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Story from earlier today:

Daughter of Chile's Pinochet detained in US

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2064780

[IndianaGreen]

1. She is a common criminal

She should be deported back to Chile to face justice.

[Judi Lynn]

2. She surely is. She's trying to hide out from a government run by a woman

her dad tortured, along with Michelle Bachelet's anthropologist mother, and military father,Air Force General Alberto Bachelet Martínez, who died while being tortured, and boyfriend who simply DISAPPEARED into thin air after being arrested by Pinochet's people.

I just read the tortured-to-death General worked in Washington in the Chilean embassy a couple of years.

They should take Pinochet's daughter to the airport and send her home. If she's lucky, they won't throw her out of the plane, unlike what happened to some of Pinochet's victems.

[IndianaGreen]

3. Runaway Pinochet Affects Chile

Runaway Pinochet Affects Chile

Santiago, Chile, Jan 25 (Prensa Latina) President Ricardo Lagos said Wednesday that the flight of Lucia Pinochet, daughter of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and her detention in Washington as she was trying to enter the US, "is sad and affects Chile"s prestige."

He added there are talks and negotiations underway with US authorities so that the fugitive can return to Chile under the best terms possible. "All this affects the country, it is very sad," he emphasized.

The oldest daughter of the Pinochet clan was held at Dulles Airport in Washington, where she traveled from Argentina after leaving Chile on Sunday, before her official notification of her trial for tax fraud and passport forgery.

Judge Carlos Cerda, who is handling the former president"s case for secret Riggs Bank accounts, issued an international warrant for her on Tuesday. Lucia defrauded the Treasury of about one million dollars, according to the Internal Tax Service.

PRENSA LATINA

[daleo]

4. There is a good chance she will get asylum

After all, the money she isn't paying taxes on probably goes right back to the CIA and the overthrow of the legitimate government. The U.S. government probably has an interest in keeping this quiet.

[struggle4progress]

5. Pinochet's daughter withdraws United States asylum request

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 : The eldest daughter of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has withdrawn her request for political asylum from the United States, two days after she arrived after fleeing tax charges in Chile, a U.S. Homeland Security official said today.

The official said Lucia Pinochet Hiriart, who was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on Wednesday after arriving at Dulles International Airport near Washington, would now go through the ''removal proceedings'' to be sent home.

It was unclear if she would be sent back to Argentina, where she originally boarded the flight to Washington, or if she would go back to Chile.

The official did not know why Pinochet Hiriart decided to withdraw her request. A Homeland Security spokesman refused to comment on the matter, saying the department did not confirm or deny asylum petitions ...

http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=96288

[struggle4progress]

6. Pinochet's daughter leaves for Argentina

The eldest daughter of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was sent back to Argentina, two days after she arrived from fleeing tax charges in Chile.

Shortly after withdrawing her request for political asylum in the United States, Lucia Pinochet Hiriart, 60, was sent to Argentina - the last country she was in before coming to the United States.

"Lucia Pinochet is no longer in the custody of the Department of Homeland Security. She is returning, this evening, to the country of her last departure," said Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the department.

A Homeland Security official had said earlier that she was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on Wednesday after arriving from Argentina at Dulles International Airport near Washington ...

http://smh.com.au/news/World/Pinochets-daughter-leaves-for-Argentina/2006/01/28/1138319474730.html