Pinochet fights to escape trial

Graffiti reading 'Pinochet is Sovereign' painted on a bus

Chile's Supreme Court has ended its first day of hearings on whether former military ruler General Augusto Pinochet should be tried for human rights abuses.

The court is to rule on General Pinochet's appeal against a lower-court decision which stripped him of his immunity from prosecution - a preliminary step towards a full trial.

During Wednesday's session the 20 members of the Supreme Court voted to turn down a request made by General Pinochet's lawyers for medical tests to be carried out on him, ruling that tests should not be performed at this stage.

General Pinochet was returned to Chile in March on grounds of ill health, following more than 500 days under arrest in Britain.

If the Supreme Court upholds the ruling, and General Pinochet's immunity from prosecution is lifted, he will face more than 130 criminal complaints.

The general was originally granted immunity because of his life-long seat in the senate, which he was given in 1980.

Protesters

The session on the first of three days of hearings lasted around three hours, and was taken up primarily with an outline of the case against General Pinochet, presented by a court official.

General Pinochet returned to Chile in March

Outside the court, amid heavy security, rival groups of Pinochet supporters and opponents gathered to demonstrate.

The groups, of around 100 protesters each, were kept well apart by the police, and there were no serious confrontations.

Prosecution

Opposing lawyers will present their case on Thursday and Friday.

Lawyers seeking General Pinochet's prosecution will argue that he is guilty of ordering an army squad to kill opponents of the military government shortly after the 1973 coup.

Central to the case against General Pinochet are allegations of his involvement in the so-called "Death Caravan", a military squad which roamed Chile in October 1973 searching for left-wing opponents of the general's regime.

The squad is believed to have killed at least 72 people, mainly dissidents dragged from prisons and summarily executed.

Prosecution lawyers will also argue that the general is fit enough to face a full trial.

Amnesty law

The general's team will argue that he is innocent of all charges raised against him and that he is too ill to face trial.

The hearings will end on Friday, and a verdict is expected during the next few weeks.

Despite the latest proceedings, General Pinochet still may never be convicted because of a law that grants amnesty to those responsible for human rights abuses in Chile between 1973 and 1978, when most of the offences allegedly occurred.