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Pinochet: The Politics of Torture
Near midnight on October 16, 1998, officers of Scotland Yard entered the London hospital room of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and arrested him on charges of torturing and murdering Spanish citizens. The arrest sent shockwaves around the world, delighting his detractors and the families of his regime's victims, and dismaying his supporters, including Margaret Thatcher. It marked the first time a former head of state had been detained outside his own country on charges of crimes against humanity, and thus signaled a clear warning to former dictators and heads of abusive regimes.
Through interviews, eyewitness accounts, and new sources, veteran journalist Hugh O'Shaughnessy here sifts through the General's personal life, rise to power, and arrest and internment. In clear, unforgiving prose, The Politics of Torture tells the riveting story of legal intrigue behind the search for justice.
Through interviews, eyewitness accounts, and new sources, veteran journalist Hugh O'Shaughnessy here sifts through the General's personal life, rise to power, and arrest and internment. In clear, unforgiving prose, The Politics of Torture tells the riveting story of legal intrigue behind the search for justice.
- GenresNonfiction
Hardcover
First published November 23, 1999
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October 31, 2025
An incredible story of betrayal, which makes one wonder how is it that an ordinary, law-abiding citizen can become the father of a ruthless killing machine in the space of a few days, without prior planning.
While that question may never be fully answered, what is apparent is that his fear-based tyranny partially stemmed from a fear of losing power. His desperate (and largely successful) attempts at suppressing exiled voices in other countries is an indication of such. The audacity of Letelier's killing in Washington further shows that an emboldened Pinochet, knowing that Nixon's US was in his corner, was willing to stop at nothing to ensure his power remained intact.
Though much has been written on the crimes committed by dictatorships across Latin America over the decades, the brutal treatment of Pinochet's own citizens under his watch is nonetheless tough reading. Some images are hard to escape from. What is more harrowing is knowing that despite the successful arrest warrant from the Spanish government, the first of its kind in international law, Pinochet was never put behind bars. The book, published in 1999, doesn't cover that due to his deteriorating health in 2000, Pinochet was never extradited from the UK to Spain. Instead, he escaped back to his homeland, where he ultimately died, taking with him his sins against his own people, in 2006.
What was it all for?
While that question may never be fully answered, what is apparent is that his fear-based tyranny partially stemmed from a fear of losing power. His desperate (and largely successful) attempts at suppressing exiled voices in other countries is an indication of such. The audacity of Letelier's killing in Washington further shows that an emboldened Pinochet, knowing that Nixon's US was in his corner, was willing to stop at nothing to ensure his power remained intact.
Though much has been written on the crimes committed by dictatorships across Latin America over the decades, the brutal treatment of Pinochet's own citizens under his watch is nonetheless tough reading. Some images are hard to escape from. What is more harrowing is knowing that despite the successful arrest warrant from the Spanish government, the first of its kind in international law, Pinochet was never put behind bars. The book, published in 1999, doesn't cover that due to his deteriorating health in 2000, Pinochet was never extradited from the UK to Spain. Instead, he escaped back to his homeland, where he ultimately died, taking with him his sins against his own people, in 2006.
What was it all for?
Displaying 1 of 1 review