The Conflict

General Pinochet led a coup in Chile in 1973 following which there were killings, torture, and "disappearances" of dissenters. Then Pinochet, no longer the head of the government, traveled to London, England; Spanish government officials sought to extradite him from England for crimes committed by him and his administration.

Political

• Political leaders are responsible for the crimes committed by their governments.
• It is the world's responsibility, including international courts or country-specific courts such as Spain's, to make sure suspected criminals—including heads of government—are held responsible.
• If political leaders are held responsible, any leader traveling outside his or her country could be charged and tried.
• It is the responsibility of Chile to decide whether to charge Pinochet with crimes.

Efforts to extradite General Augusto Pinochet (pronounced Pin-O-Shay) to...