At the same time, the 6-1 decision by the House of Lords tribunal found that Pinochet could not be prosecuted for crimes allegedly committed before 1988, which is the year that Britain signed an international law banning torture. Most of Pinochet’s alleged crimes were committed prior to 1988, which means that the court essentially threw out all but three of the 30 charges originally leveled against him in the Spanish warrant seeking his extradition. That prompted the Law Lords to take the unusual step of recommending that British Home Secretary Jack Straw reconsider his previous decision to allow the extradition request to proceed. Gleeful Pinochet supporters cheered the reduced charges. The general himself received a visit from his old friend Margaret Thatcher, which was televised. It was the first time he has appeared in public since his Oct. 16 arrest.
