Dementia diagnosis for Pinochet

[emad]

BBC News



A doctor appointed by a Chilean court to examine whether former President Augusto Pinochet is fit to be tried has diagnosed him with "moderate dementia".

Judge Juan Guzman will now decide whether Mr Pinochet can face charges of kidnapping and killing his opponents.

The former military ruler denies any role in Operation Condor, a scheme in which South American dictatorships eliminated their left-wing critics.

The BBC Santiago correspondent says the test results are not definitive.

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3748466.stm
Seem to remember he tried this defence back in 2000/1...

[havocmom]

1. So, if you hold off being held accountable long enough for time to take

its toll, you can get away with murders committed before you lost your faculties? I really have trouble with that concept of justice.

Do evil. Do as you please in your prime, just don't get caught until the end days of your life, then scream for mercy because you are a doddering old fool? Hell no.

[latebloomer]

2. Same could happen with Bush

who seems to be getting more demented by the day.

[havocmom]

3. Yep. Am wondering if it is all in the plan

Get a puppet elected front man while you do the dirty work of subverting the government, then... oopsie, when the facts all get out, the puppet is too far gone to stand trial.

[catzies]

4. That is a very keen insight, havocmom. Wow.

:wow: First Reagan, now *. You hit the nail on the head.

[Spider Jerusalem]

5. The only problem with that...

is that, if he's senile, then the man who committed the crimes doesn't exist anymore in any real sense. So where is the justice? What ends are served by punishing a drooling old man whose mind is gone? That sounds like it's more about vengeance than any kind of real justice, honestly.

[havocmom]

6. So we assure they get off if they just wait and let nature take its course

So what's the incentive for NOT being a mass murderer?

Sorry, I don't buy into letting them off.

[acmavm]

7. One of the main premises behind criminal prosecution is retribution.

without that, what's the point? If they don't understand that in the end paybacks will happen, what's to stop anyone from crimes against humanity, including the criminals running this country?

You know what I think about Pinochet? I think he's like that mafia guy who wandered around New York City in his pajamas pretending to be nuts to evade prosecution. In the end he got caught at it.

But then again, I don't give a rat's ass if the guy is senile. He deserves whatever he gets. His victims didn't have a chance. Cold blooded murder. Oh by the way, aided and abetted by this country. We have a lot of people here who should also be answering for those crimes. Maybe, since he's so damn senile, he can't remember who his American co-conspirators are either.

[jpgray]

9. Yep--that Qin dynasty lasted for so long, didn't it?

:)

[neomonkey]

8. Damn them all

How about during one of those moments of lucidity that these patients are known to experience we hang him?