Pinochet Stripped of Legal Immunity

The former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet was stripped of his legal immunity today, meaning he can be tried for the disappearance of another 29 rebels during his rule.

Gen Pinochet had already been indicted and put under house arrest facing human rights charges related to his dictatorship from 1973 to 1990. He is also charged with corruption in a case involving around £15m hidden in foreign bank accounts.

The Santiago court of appeal voted 16-6 to strip Gen Pinochet of the legal immunity granted him as former president of Chile. The decision allows the judge to add the new human rights cases to the nine in which the former dictator is already indicted.

Gen Pinochet's lawyer, Gustavo Collados, said he would appeal against today's ruling, citing the 90-year-old's health as the reason he is not fit to stand trial.

The retired general has already avoided trial in Britain and Chile due to ill health. He suffers from mild dementia, diabetes and arthritis and has a pacemaker.

However, recent court-ordered medical examinations determined that he is mentally fit to face trial.

The 29 dissidents were among 119 killed in 1974 during an operation by the Chilean secret police, called Operation Colombo, aimed at eliminating opponents of the new regime. Their bodies have never been found.

The case dragging in the courts as relatives of the victims have filed individual criminal suits against Gen Pinochet, forcing separate rulings by the courts.

Six of nine previous indictments are on appeal before the supreme court.

During Gen Pinochet's dictatorship, more than 3,000 people were killed and tens of thousands more were tortured or exiled.