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GUEST: Saul Landau, Senior fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies, and the co-author of “Assasination on Embassy Row”, an award winning book about the murder of Orlando Letelier and author of the forthcoming book, “A Bush and Botox World”

The death of ex –Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet last week was bittersweet for those who sought justice for crimes committed under his repressive rule. Though Pinochet died without ever spending a day in jail for his crimes, some 600 Chilean military officers have been tried or face prosecution. Over 400 human rights cases involving over 1,000 victims remain open. For human rights activists Pinochet’s death reminds them that time is of the essence for those seeking truth and accountability. Amnesty International has called on Chilean authorities not to use the death of Pinochet as an excuse to de-emphasize the importance of remaining human rights cases. In the United States, human rights advocates are calling for the release of key documents relating to the 1976 Washington D.C. assassination of Orlando Letelier by Pinochet’s secret police. Though few defend General Pinochet’s methods of repression, many mainstream commentators uncritically credit radical free market reforms undertaken under his dictatorship as the foundations of Chile’s present day economic growth. For many, the legacy of Augusto Pinochet’s iron fist rule is anything but a closed case.

For more information, visit www.saullandau.com