UN urges Chile to reopen commission on torture, to abolish Amnesty Law

[Judi Lynn]

UN urges Chile to reopen commission on torture, to abolish Amnesty Law
2009-05-16 11:01:14

SANTIAGO, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations called on Chile on Friday to reopen the Commission on Political Prison and Torture and to abolish the Amnesty Law-Decree from the military regime of Augusto Pinochet.

In the report of the 42nd session of the UN Committee Against the Torture, in Geneva, Switzerland, Chile was urged to take those measures to compensate the victims of torture and avoid the negative influence of the Amnesty Law in the sentences of the crimes committed during the dictatorship.

The UN requested to take all the necessary measures to guarantee the investigations of tortures and other treatment or cruel, inhuman or degrading penalties, to be exhaustively analyzed, with promptitude and impartially.

The committee said that Chilean courts have avoided in their last sentences the application of the Amnesty Law-Decree, which bans punishing people who were responsible for violations of human rights committed between Sept. 11, 1973 and March 10, 1978.

However, the report said that due to the possibility of its application to violate human rights, the committee urged Chile to abolish that controversial law.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/16/content_11383476.htm