Letter: Pinochet's progress

Sir: General Pinochet's lawyers base their appeal against the Law Lords' decision on accusations of bias against Lord Hoffmann, who is chairman of Amnesty International Charity Ltd. Since when was a "bias" towards universal human rights, or against their violation, reprehensible in a senior judge in a democratic country? If we accept this usage, we run the risk of unthinkingly accepting the prejudices of Pinochet and his supporters, both in Chile and in Britain. Let us watch our language.

JANE FREELAND

Southampton