VivirLatino

Pinochet under house arrest

17:41 H | Topics: Chile - Justice - Latin America

Aging (read: very old -- 91 years old to be exact) Chilean ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet has been placed under house arrest after being charged with multiple kidnappings and one murder charge:

Pinochet, who turns 91 on November 25th, was notified by a justice official at his mansion in Santiago's La Dehesa neighborhood of the decision, made last Friday by Judge Alejandro Solís, for the crimes committed in Villa Grimaldi detention center.

Solís tried the nonagenarian ex-dictator (1973-1990) after having rejecting a petition by his defense team to exonerate him, arguing that he is too physically and mentally incapacitated to stand trial.

Judge Solís made his decision after formally interrogating Pinochet and deciding that he was "lucid" enough to stand trial, that he "understands the consequences of his words", and that he had an "emotional reaction" to the questions.

Spain's 20 Minutos reports that the specific crimes related to this court decision are related to incidents at Villa Grimaldi (at the "Cuartel Terranova") where 5000 people were tortured -- among them current Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and her mother -- and 226 turned up missing.

20 Minutos also cites other charges that have been or will be lodged against the ex-dictator, among the disappearance of 119 protesters, the executions of 75 dissidents, as well as falsification of passports, tax evasion and money laundering.

Via / 20 Minutos

Related

• Gay Website is...Homophobic? (Tuesday, Jan 29 2008)
• Sex for sale...for a good cause (Thursday, Nov 29 2007)