NEW SIGN-ON LETTER TO PRESIDENT AZNAR (fwd)

[Diego Quesada]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2000 10:04:16 -0500
From: "G.F.W." <westphal at UMBC.EDU>
Reply-To: Latin American Linguistics and Languages Discussion List
     <LATAMLIN at MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
To: LATAMLIN at MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: NEW SIGN-ON LETTER TO PRESIDENT AZNAR (fwd)

Favor circular entre amigos de la causa. Favor firmar y enviar a:

                        <s-jonas at mindspring.com>

Muchas gracias desde ya!

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NEW PINOCHET SIGN ON LETTER
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Produced by the Institute for Policy Studies, Washington, D.C.

LETTER TO SPANISH PRESIDENT JOSE MARIA AZNAR:  Sign On Now!

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We encourage you to add your name as a representative of an organization
or as an individual to the following letter that will be sent to Spanish
President José María Aznar and cc to Spanish Foreign Minister Abel
Matutes.  Unfortunately, we do not know when Jack Straw will announce his
final decision, although he has said that he will give parties to the case
24-hour notice.  We apologize for the short notice, but must ask that
signatures be received no later than Monday, January 24, 2000.

Excmo. Sr. D. José María Aznar
Presidente del Gobierno Español
Complejo de La Moncloa
28071 - Madrid
ESPAÑA/SPAIN

Fax numbers: 011-34-91-390-0356, 011-34-91-390-0329, 011-34-91-583-7519

Dear President Aznar,

We are writing to urge you to allow justice to take its course in the
ongoing proceedings against Chilean General Augusto Pinochet.  We commend
your government for transmitting the representation submitted by Judge
Baltasar Garzón to British Home Secretary Jack Straw earlier this week.
We are concerned, however, by the statement made by your Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Sr. Abel Matutes, that his office will not transmit Judge
Garzón’s appeal, should Minister Straw decide to end extradition
proceedings.

As you know, Judge Garzón has requested that the British Crown Prosecution
Service (CPS), representing Spain, pursue all possible avenues for
ensuring Gen. Pinochet’s extradition, including an appeal for judicial
review of the Home Secretary’s decision.  The CPS has indicated that
irregularities surrounding recent medical exams could serve as clear
grounds for judicial review, but will only pursue the appeal if so
instructed by the Spanish government.  Home Secretary Straw himself
acknowledged yesterday that the Kingdom of Spain has the right to file for
judicial review because he considers his judgement to be “quasi-judicial”
rather than discretional.

Given that there is currently a criminal legal case pending in the Spanish
tribunals, the decision to appeal belongs exclusively to the courts, and
in this particular case, to Judge Garzón, the magistrate overseeing the
case against Pinochet.  We urge you to respect the constitutional
independence of the judicial branch of the Kingdom of Spain and formaly
transmit Judge Garzon’s request to the British authorities immediately.

Sincerely,

NAME:

TITLE:

ORGANIZATION:

CITY/STATE:

PLEASE RETURN TO STACIE JONAS <s-jonas at mindspring.com> or by fax at 202-
387-7915 NO LATER THAN MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2000)
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For more information on Pinochet Watch,” contact Stacie Jonas, Institute
for Policy Studies, 733 15th St. NW, #1020, Washington, DC 20005.  Tel:
202-234-9382, Fax:  202-387-7915.  Email: s-jonas at mindspring.com.

The Institute for Policy Studies is an independent center for research and
education founded in 1963.  IPS has worked to bring Pinochet to justice
since the murders of two IPS colleagues, Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen
Moffitt, at the hands of Pinochet's agents, in 1976