Augusto Pinochet

The Santiago Court of Appeals voted 14-9 to lift the immunity that the 88-year-old Pinochet enjoys as former president.

Pinochet's lawyer hinted that the decision may be appealed to the Supreme Court, which has ruled that Pinochet, Chile's president from 1973-90, is physically and mentally unfit to stand trial.

Human rights lawyers have sued Pinochet in connection with the deaths of several Chileans in "Operation Condor," a repression plan implemented by the military dictatorships that ruled South America's southern nations in the 1970s and 1980s.

A report by the civilian government that succeeded Pinochet said 3,197 people were killed or made to disappear during Pinochet's rule.

The Japan Times Weekly: June 5, 2004
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