Pinochet charged with murder and disappearances

While the house arrest was quickly overturned, the fact that Pinochet was charged yesterday with murder in his own country, it's a refreshing reminder that we should never give up our hopes of justice. Over and over we hear that the poor old man is 89 years old. The first time that I heard this sort of excuse was from a Catholic woman who told me that she believed in forgiving Klaus Barbie, who was a "poor old man" and was been tried in France when he was 74 years old. This lovely grandpa was responsible for the murder of thousands (btw, this nice guy was for many years employed and under the protection of freedom-loving US government). But since age seems to be so important in these cases, let's get back to Pinochet and talk about age. Let's talk about Mariluz Sabrina Pérez a 16 year old girl who was kidnapped by the DINA, Pinochet's secret police, when she was going back home from her high school. She was raped, received electrical shocks on her nipples and burns on her vagina. Mariluz is now 29 years old and, after several miscarriages, was able to have a baby. According to her, "having a child was a victory against the DINA". Maybe Pinochet is now too old, and Mariluz was way too young, but funny things happen to people of all ages. You are never too young to suffer and never too old for justice. You choose: trial for an elder or torture for a teenager. That's the only way age should be taken into consideration. And Mariluz' case is only one among thousands of Chilean who where tortured and/or murdered. The fact that the former dictator is finally accused in his own country, with all the legal rights that he denied to his victims, is a major victory for humanity. Keep that in mind: you're never too old to be an murderous bastard.