He ... will forever be remembered as the man who inaugurated a new leap in the concept of human rights, which is: Heads of states do not have impunity for those things they have done in crimes against humanity. Humanity can judge them for what they did against us all. —Chilean author Ariel Dorfman, commenting on defunct dictator Augusto Pinochet

Humanity will have to judge Pinochet since he was never tried in a court of law despite the many indictments he "suffered."

The honor of "inaugurating a new leap in the concept of human rights" by being convicted of a crime against humanity while head of state might have fallen upon former Yugoslav President Slobadan Milosevic. But he too was exonerated by the Grim Reaper.

So the honor remains to be awarded, and I know just the man who deserves it.

Tags: * Chile Pinochet Augusto Pinochet crimes against humanity torture international law George Bush justice President Bush