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One Year After Back Home, Pinochet Case Still Unsettled
One turbulent year has gone since his return to Chile after spending 503 days under house arrest in London, the former president of Chile, Gen. Augusto Pinochet is still awaiting a judgment on his controversial case.
Santiago's Court of Appeal is expected to make a ruling on the appeal by Pinochet's defenses, who want to ditch the possible trial of the former dictator called by judge Juan Guzman.
Judge Guzman, who has been investigating Pinochet' case for three years, signed a resolution sent in to a Santiago court in late January this year, accusing Pinochet of being involved in the murder and kidnapping of 75 leftists during his 1973-1990 reign, which is commonly referred to as the "Death Caravan" case.
The Pinochet case has caused controversies both at home and abroad.
One year ago, British Minister of the Interior Jack Straw said Pinochet was not able to stand trial. Observers believed that was likely a reason for Straw to release Pinochet and send him back to Chile.
On March 3, 2000, Pinochet arrived at the Arturo Merino Benitez airport in Chile. Coming out of the plane, Pinochet left his wheelchair behind and set foot on the land of Chile, where he was given an unofficial welcoming ceremony by the military and leaders from opposition parties.
Back in Chile, Pinochet has been facing a campaign of accusations against his past.
Just three weeks after Pinochet's return, a number of human rights lawyers including Hugo Gutierrez, Eduardo Contreras and Carmen Hertz began to file a string of accusations against Pinochet. Up to now, the accusations have amounted to 250.
As a major figure in the campaign, Judge Juan Guzman has been undertaking various legal proceedings against Pinochet. He even took the Pinochet case to the Court of Appeals of Santiago and demanded that Pinochet's special rights as a life-senator be stripped.
On January 29 this year, Guzman decided to put Pinochet on trial and as a first step, he ordered Pinochet's house arrest in his Los Boldos residence in Bulalemu state.
Days later, Pinochet's defense team, which has been defending Pinochet by claiming the 85-year-old Pinochet could not stand trial due to his poor health, filed an appeal against all the charges.
Judges of the First Court of Santiago's Court of Appeals listened to the appealing statements on February 13-15, and then carried out an in-depth study.
Both Pinochet's defense lawyers and plaintiffs remain cautious and have adopted a wait-and-see attitude in public.
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