The Politics of Prosecutions under the Convention Against Torture

Recent incidents suggest that prosecutions under the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment ( Convention Against Torture ) are highly vulnerable to political pressures brought to bear by the potential defendant and his state. The dismissal of charges against former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre in Senegal and the detention and release of Peruvian Major Tomas Ricardo Anderson Kohatsu in the United States indicate that the successful prosecution of Augusto Pinochet under the Convention Against Torture was essentially an anomaly rather than the beginning of a new trend. [CONT