Pinochet 'must face trial'

Pinochet's lawyers say he is too ill to stand trial

A Chilean court of appeal has ruled that former military ruler General Augusto Pinochet should stand trial in connection with murders and kidnappings that occurred in the wake of the 1973 coup that brought him to power.

However, the court decided that he should not be charged with the crimes themselves - but simply the lesser count of covering up those alleged crimes.

We are not satisfied, of course, but the ruling still means that Pinochet is considered a criminal

Prosecution lawyer Carmen Hertz

General Pinochet is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court to reverse the Santiago Court of Appeal ruling.

His lawyers have argued that the 85-year-old is not healthy enough to stand trial and that the evidence against him does not show he is guilty.

Disappointment

The president of a Chilean human rights group called the reduction in charges against General Pinochet "shameful".

"This shows the kind of courts we have," said Viviana Diaz, president of Families of the Detained/Disappeared, an organisation of relatives of people who "disappeared" during General Pinochet's 1973-1990 rule.

Prosecution lawyer Carmen Hertz said: "We are not satisfied, of course, but the ruling still means that Pinochet is considered a criminal".

Another prosecution lawyer said his team would take several days to review the ruling and decide how to proceed.

While General Pinochet's lawyers try to get the charges against him dropped entirely, the prosecutors may try to have the murder and kidnapping charges reinstated.

Caravan of Death

The charges against General Pinochet concern a military squad called the Caravan of Death, which was allegedly responsible for the deaths and disappearances of more than 70 political opponents of the regime in the wake of the 1973 coup.

Judge Guzman interrogated Pinochet

Judge Juan Guzman issued an indictment against General Pinochet in January after questioning him for two hours.

He was placed under house arrest on 29 January.

He remains under house arrest at his home 130 km (80 miles) south-west of Santiago.

The general has been fighting legal battles since October 1998, when he was arrested in England in connection with a Spanish warrant against him.

After nearly 18 months of judicial wrangling, Home Secretary Jack Straw allowed General Pinochet to return to Chile on health grounds.

He then faced charges in his native country.