Pinochet To Testify in OctoberChilean judge Juan Guzman said Monday that on October 9, Gen. Augusto Pinochet, the life senator stripped of immunity and former dictator, will have to testify within the framework of the investigation of the case called "Death Caravan."Chile's former military leader has been charged to date with 165 accusations presented by relatives and friends of the victims of the military regime, including the crime of kidnapping 19 people related to the Death Caravan. Due to these accusations, Santiago's Court of Appeals decided on May 23 to strip Pinochet of parliamentary immunity, and the country's Supreme Court ratified this decision on August 8. Regarding the dates for medical examinations for the former Chilean head of state, judge Guzman did not give any information Monday, arguing it is "a secret of the summary." In relation to the request by the plaintiff to the Defense Ministry to provide background on the whereabouts of those who had been arrested and still disappeared, the judge said that such information has already been requested. On the other hand, Pinochet is to hold a meeting Monday afternoon with his team of advisors and lawyers at his residence in this capital to talk about the steps to follow after the stripping of his immunity. Guzman is seeking a trial of Pinochet in one of the earliest criminal complaints, the one involving a case known as "the caravan of death," a military squad that summarily executed 72 political prisoners shortly after the 1973 coup. Guzman still faces hurdles before trying Pinochet, mainly the legal mandate of having the retired general to undergo mental examination. Pinochet's relatives and associates have insisted he will not accept the exams because the Chilean law only exempts from trial to people pronounced mad or demented. That, Pinochet's lawyer Pablo Rodriguez said, "would stain his image before history. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |