"We need a campaign to really enforce that when a person tortures and the situation is known there has to be an expedited investigation. And the person who has tortured or ordered torture has to receive some kind of sanction. This is the type of thing that is eventually going to happen, it is beginning to happen. For example, the first example was when Pinochet was taken in to prison in London... The importance of this is that for the first time a president was made responsible for something that happened in their country."
Dr
Jose Quiroga, a cardiologist and the former Chilean president Salvador
Allende's physician, was in the presidential palace at the time of the
Allende's death during the US-orchestrated coup. He is a survivor of torture,
including water boarding, while in detention under the Pinochet dictatorship.
Dr Quiroga has devoted much of his life since then to the treatment and
development of rehabilitation programs for torture victims. He is the
vice-president of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture victims
and treasurer of the Physicians for Social Responsibility.
