While pundits in the U.S. debate whether a president can get away with having an extra-marital affair while in office, the rest of the world is watching breathlessly as Chilean expatriates battle to put Augosto Pinochet on trial for kidnapping, genocide, and torture. General Pinochet, former despot and ruler of Chile from 1973 to 1990 (after which he became a "senator for life"), was arrested on Oct. 16 while he was in a London hospital for spinal surgery.

Pinochet was arrested at the request of a Spanish magistrate, Baltasar Garzon, who is preparing an order to have him extradited to stand trial in Spain. Garzon is responding to requests from human rights groups representing 94 people from Spain, Argentina, Chile, the U.S., and Britain who were abducted and killed during Pinochet's reign of terror. But the extradition order has to be approved by the Spanish government first, and that's unlikely to happen. Happily, groups of Chilean expatriates in other countries are stepping forward to press their own claims against Pinochet and prevent his release.

During the 17 years that General Pinochet ruled Chile, over 3,000 people were killed by the Chilean government for political reasons. Thousands more were tortured, and at least 52,000 people went into exile to escape political repression. Now those folks are coming forward to see justice done.

Chileans in Sweden have brought a private lawsuit against Pinochet and asked that he be extradited to Sweden. 700 people protested in Stockholm outside the Chilean embassy, carrying posters of missing relatives. About 32,000 Chilean expatriates live in Sweden.

Last Monday, a criminal complaint was filed in Geneva, Switzerland, by the widow of Alexei Jaccard, who had dual Swiss-Chilean nationality. He was abducted and tortured in Chile in 1977; after his release, he fled to Argentina, where the military kidnapped him again and handed him over to the Chilean secret police. He's never been seen since. Swiss authorities have asked for Pinochet to be extradited to stand trial in Switzerland.

Also on Monday, a human rights group in France filed its own suit in a Paris court to extradite and try Pinochet on charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The next day, four Chilean exiles in Britain sought to prevent Pinochet's premature release from custody by bringing their own lawsuit against him in the British courts.

In the past, Pinochet could escape capture and prosecution because he was the Chilean head of state and had the protection of his diplomatic immunity (as well as the covert support of the U.S. government). But Pinochet has retired and, because he's in Britain only for medical treatment that has nothing to do with his senatorial duties, he can no longer hide behind diplomatic immunity. Furthermore, recent international legal precedents--trials against war criminals in Bosnia and Rwanda (including the conviction of a former Rwandan head of state for the crime of genocide)--have made it easier for Pinochet's victims to press their lawsuits against him. This is the sort of struggle that has despots quaking in their shoes all over the world.

Meanwhile, back in Chile, enormous demonstration both for and against Pinochet are occurring daily. On Oct. 25, activists gathered in a Santiago park to celebrate Pinochet's arrest. 5,000 people listened to live music, drank beer, ate candied apples, and waved banners and signs that read: "They nabbed you, you killer!" and "Pinochet, assassin. Your only destination is prison." --Maria Tomchick

One of the more frightening aspects of this autumn's Russian protests of missing back pay was the September 30 demonstration by Russian nuclear researchers over their lack of pay. Agence France-Presse reported that hundreds of nuclear researchers protested their lack of pay by blockading major roads leading into Moscow and briefly threatening operations at Russia's space center. The atomic energy researchers said in a press statement issued by their union, "We are forced to these desperate measures because we are in poverty. The scientists have reached breaking point. The cities in which they live are falling apart." International analysts fret, not without cause, that hungry members of the Russian nuclear program might be more likely to sell state secrets or restricted materials to terrorist groups or governments. Meanwhile, the capitalism-inspired Russian food distribution system--dominated, as are many sectors of the domestic economy, by the Russian mob--mean that some cities in the southern part of the country are in relatively good shape while some northern cities are facing severe food shortages this winter. --Geov Parrish

On Thursday, October 1, a "Let's Disgrace the Base" direct action targetted activites at Rolls Royce Nuclear in Derby, England, construction site for the nuclear reactors for Trident submarines. About 60 people were arrested for attempting to blockade workers, handing out leaflets and notices that asked, "Who built the gas chambers?" and urged workers to "Question your government; Question your bosses; Whose interests are your jobs serving?" Another contingent demanded an inspection of the site for weapons of mass destuction and associated activited, locking down at the main gate when they were refused. The 12 arrested inside the plant were charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage (charges that can carry up to 15 years in jail; while they are difficult to prove, they are also difficult to disprove). While they were still in Derby, the homes of all 12 were raided by police-- some in the early hours of the morning.

October 1st was picked because it was the anniversary of the end of the Nuremberg Trials at the end of the Second World War. In associated actions in Belgium, at NATO headquarters, there were 47 arrests, eight of whom were members of the Belgian Parliament.--Geov Parrish