Court Clears Way for Pinochet Rights Trial

05/01/2005| IslamWeb

Chile's Supreme Court yesterday upheld an indictment of former dictator Augusto Pinochet, ruling to keep him under house arrest for murder and kidnapping charges related to Operation Condor, a 1970s-era conspiracy of South American dictatorships to kill opponents. The court rejected Pinochet's appeal by a three-to-two vote, paving the way for Judge Juan Guzman Tapia to pursue charges against the former dictator, related to his suspected involvement in a murder and nine kidnappings of people whose bodies were never found. Families of those who disappeared hailed the high court's decision, erupting into shouts of joy as court clerk Carlos Meneses announced the ruling. 'We are very pleased with this decision, since we have been waiting 30 years for news about the fate of our loved ones," said Lorena Pizarro, president of the victims' group Families of the Disappeared. Retired general Luis Cortes Villa, director of the Pinochet Foundation, meanwhile, complained that the house arrest could speed Pinochet's demise. "I think that we are heading in a direction that would speed up this former president's death," Cortes Villa said, calling the high court's decision "painful". A lower court had ruled unanimously last month that Pinochet, 89, must face trial for crimes committed during Operation Condor. After the former strongman appealed that decision, the Supreme Court heard arguments for and against dropping the charges against him. Pinochet has never stood trial for the disappearance and presumed murder of any of the approximately 3,000 political opponents who vanished during his dictatorship, between 1973 and 1990. Pinochet suffered a mild stroke last month and was briefly admitted to hospital but was said to be recovering. Since Thursday, he has been staying at his coastal residence, Los Boldos, 110km west of Santiago. In July 2002, the Supreme Court found that Pinochet suffered from mild dementia and was unable to stand trial. But according to the prosecution, the former dictator has since given clear signs of being lucid. In 2003, Pinochet appeared on a Miami television show, appearing lucid and joking with the interviewer. As a result, the courts reconsidered Pinochet's dementia as well as his immunity from prosecution. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Chile's Supreme Court upheld Augusto Pinochet's indictment on murder and kidnapping charges, bringing the former dictator closer to standing trial for the first time for abuses during his 1973-1990 rule. (AFP)