Sting receives human rights award

Sting: Tribute to the mothers of Chile's "disappeared"

The British rock singer, Sting, has been given one of Chile's highest awards for his work defending human rights.

At a ceremony in the country's capital, Santiago, he was presented with a medal named after the Chilean poet and Nobel laureate, Gabriela Mistral.

The foreign minister, Soledad Alvear, praised Sting for what she described as his important contribution to informing the world about the situation in Chile in past decades.

His 1980s hit song, They Dance Alone, was written as a tribute to the mothers of those who disappeared under the rule of Chile's former military leader, General Augusto Pinochet.

After being presented with the award, Sting said it was an irony that he was in the country at a time when efforts were being made by a Chilean judge to prosecute General Pinochet.