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By Rafael Urbina SANTIAGO (AFP) - Three weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that Augusto Pinochet could stand trial; a judge announced he would question the former dictator on October 9th about atrocities committed under his watch. Judge Juan Guzman, who has been handling human rights complaints filed against Pinochet, refused Monday to say where the questioning would take place but made clear that the choice of location could be left to the former dictator. On August 8th, the Chilean Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that stripped the 84-year-old general of his parliamentary immunity, paving the way for his prosecution in connection with human rights abuses during his reign from 1973 to 1990. The general, who came to power as a result of a military coup that toppled the Socialist government of Salvador Allende, stands accused of unleashing a reign of terror against left-wing activists. Relatives of some of the 3,000 opponents to the military regime who were killed or abducted and presumed killed while Pinochet was in power, as well as human rights groups, have now filed 167 lawsuits against him. The latest lawsuit accuses Pinochet of responsibility for the disappearance of 13 social workers and students in the first three years of his dictatorship. Pinochet also faces seven charges accusing him of ordering the military unit that became known as the Caravan of Death to kill 74 political opponents in various cities in October 1973, a month after he became ruler. Sergio Arellano, the alleged head of the execution group, was released from house arrest on a $4,000 bail Monday, according to court sources. Five non-commissioned officers linked to the caravan remain under arrest. Arellano recently claimed the group's orders were to speed up the trial of opposition leaders, "not to kill them," while his lawyer said that after they were shot, the bodies were blown apart with dynamite and buried in the desert. Guzman told reporters that in his first interview with Pinochet he would explain to him his legal situation and urge him to tell the truth. He said he would also listen to the general's opinion about the charges. The interview will take place behind closed doors. Possible venues for the interview include Pinochet's homes in eastern Santiago or at Bucalemu, southwest of the capital, or at the military hospital in the capital. Pinochet's wife and children have repeatedly said the general's deteriorating health has left him in no condition to stand trial or undergo strenuous activities. "I'm looking into this issue," said Judge Guzman, who declined further comment on the general's health. Pinochet is suffering from a slew of ailments, including heart disease and diabetes, conditions that helped his lawyers win his release in March from Britain, where he was under house arrest near London for 503 days on a Spanish extradition request to face similar charges of abuse. His wife, Lucia Hiriart, said on August 11th that attempts to bring him to trial for crimes against humanity were a "set-up" and that the Chilean justice system was being "manipulated." Meanwhile, the general is expected to appear in a public ceremony Wednesday sponsored by a foundation bearing his name to unveil a monument dedicated to the 500 soldiers and police killed in terrorist attacks during his dictatorship. |
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