Meanwhile, in advance of the House of Lords hearing, people, including Isabel Allende, the daughter of the former president Salvador Allende, who died during the 1973 coup which brought General Pinochet to powerhave been describing the mass murder, rape, torture and beatings they say took place during General Pinochet's seventeen years in power.

They will not be able to give evidence at the hearing themselves, but a lawyer for Amnesty International will speak on their behalf.