Old age for Chile's former strongman Augusto Pinochet and Indonesia's former President Suharto looks much different from anything they had probably envisaged. These two distinguished men, each of whom fashioned himself as the savior of his country, are now rethinking their retirement plans. Instead of basking in the glory of a job well done and receiving the thanks of a grateful nation, they both face trial.
Neither is likely to be punished with imprisonment, however. It is more likely that age and infirmity will shield both of them from prosecution. And if legal proceedings are set in motion, it is doubtful whether either man would survive them. Nonetheless, human-rights activists and democrats the world over have reason to celebrate -- and dictators have reason to be fearful. A simple, essential principle has prevailed: No one is above the law.
Mr. Pinochet's hopes for a quiet retirement were upset this week when Chile's supreme court voted 14-6 to strip him of his immunity from prosecution. That privilege -- given to him as an unelected senator for life in Chile's Upper House of Congress -- was granted by the constitution he wrote before leaving office. Mr. Pinochet now faces charges associated with the deaths and disappearances of more than 3,000 people during his 17-year rule.