Madrid - Spanish opposition politicians and newspapers across the political spectrum yesterday criticised a prosecutor's call to free Chile's ex-dictator, Gen Augusto Pinochet, who is accused of crimes against humanity.
The request by the state prosecutor, Mr Pedro Rubira, made on Thursday, to free Gen Pinochet on the grounds that the former dictator was immune for crimes committed during his rule sparked angry reaction.
"It would be a judicial scandal, not to mention illegal, to try and avoid a trial of Pinochet through friendly arbitration," the right-wing daily ABC said in an editorial entitled "Judicial botch-up". An official from the main opposition Socialist Party called for Mr Rubira to be fired, saying that he had made "indecent" comparisons of Gen Pinochet to the King of Spain. The Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights Leagues said it was shocked by Mr Rubira's request and told the Spanish Prime Minister, Mr Jose Maria Aznar, not to let Gen Pinochet escape trial.