UK: CHILEAN DICTATOR PINOCHET'S APPEAL DENIED скачать в хорошем качестве

UK: CHILEAN DICTATOR PINOCHET'S APPEAL DENIED

(23 Dec 1998) English/Nat A British court has denied former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet's appeal to allow him to be able to go to church on Christmas eve. The decision came as Pinochet's lawyers pleaded on his behalf. An outspoken critic against Pinochet's extradition and former British Chancellor Lord Lamont argued that as jailed members of the Irish Republican Army (I-R-A) are allowed to attend service during Christmas so should General Pinochet. However, the court did approve a change in Pinochet's bail conditions to allow him to seek urgent medical treatment over the holiday season. General Augusto Pinochet will not be allowed to leave his home to attend midnight Mass in church on Christmas Eve. However, the former dictator's bail conditions were amended so he can leave in case he requires urgent medical treatment. General Pinochet's solicitor, Michael Caplan, told Bow Street magistrates court in central London that his client, a devout Catholic, would instead be seen by a priest. But former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont defended the General's right to worship. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Well I think the conditions are absurd. We heard at the weekend that convicted I-R-A murderers were to be released to spend time with their families at Christmas. Here is a man who was head of his country, who is a senator, who has a diplomatic passport, what is as yet unconvicted of any crime. He is aged 83 and is just recovering from an operation. Not to allow him to for example go to church on Christmas Eve, I think is, very wrong." SUPER CAPTION: Lord Lamont, Former British Chancellor The former Conservative cabinet member has been a vocal critic of the extradition case against the general. Earlier in the week Lord Lamont called for his bail to be relaxed to allow him to attend church at Christmas. If Pinochet had been allowed to attend midnight mass, some feared a repeat of the huge and costly police security operation needed to take him to his only other previous public appearance before magistrates earlier this month. This is the church that General Pinochet would have attended on Christmas Eve if he had been given the permission. The Sacred Heart Church at Sunningdale in Surrey is the closest Roman Catholic church to the Wentworth estate where Pinochet is staying. Father Bob Staton says that he would have been welcome to attend. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I don't have anything against him coming here, we would welcome him as we would welcome anyone who came to church to worship. We would believe that he would be of good conscience and wanted to worship in this church." SUPER CAPTION: Father Bob Staton, The Sacred Heart Church The General is currently held under police guard at the home he is renting on Surrey's exclusive Wentworth estate, while he fights extradition to Spain on charges relating to his dictatorship in Chile. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...