Judge reinstates murder charges against Chile's Pinochet

Former dictator ordered held under house arrest

In this story: Arrest was first ordered in December Pinochet blames military for deaths Victims 'didn't look like human bodies' RELATED STORIES, SITES

SANTIAGO, Chile (CNN) -- Former Chilean strongman Augusto Pinochet was ordered held under house arrest Monday by a judge who reinstated homicide and kidnapping charges against the ex-dictator.

Judge Juan Guzman ruled that Pinochet, 85, should stand trial in connection with the so-called Caravan of Death, a military group that was responsible for the executions or disappearances of 75 political prisoners in the early weeks of Pinochet's 1973-90 dictatorship.

Lawyers for Pinochet, who remains in his coastal estate about 80 miles (128 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Santiago, are expected to try to block Guzman's order by appeal.

• Story Archive   • Pinochet Image Gallery   • Key Dates in the Pinochet Case   • Message Board

The indictment comes two days after Pinochet was released from a hospital for treatment of what doctors described as a brief interruption of blood flow to the brain. Doctors had said Pinochet was at risk of suffering a stroke.

Arrest was first ordered in December

Guzman first ordered Pinochet's arrest on December 1 for his alleged involvement in the Caravan of Death.

Chile's Supreme Court blocked that arrest and told Guzman he first had to interrogate Pinochet and also allow psychological tests to be carried out on the general to assess his mental state -- a right for those over 70 facing trial in Chile. If he were declared insane or demented, he could avoid trial.

Guzman complied with the Supreme Court's requirements when he questioned Pinochet at his Santiago residence last Tuesday.

Mental tests were carried out mid-January and showed that Pinochet suffers from "moderate dementia."

Pinochet has been hospitalized repeatedly in recent months for a variety of ailments.

Pinochet blames military for deaths

Under legal interrogation by Guzman earlier this month, Pinochet said regional military commanders, not him, were responsible for the killings of the Caravan of Death.

The families of the victims have filed dozens of criminal complaints against Pinochet arising from that case, in which prisoners were taken from jails and shot, stabbed and tortured to death.

"I am not responsible. I am not a criminal," Pinochet told Guzman, according to the published text of the legal interrogation.

Last week, retired Gen. Joaquin Lagos told state television that Pinochet was indeed responsible, because the chief of the caravan, Gen. Sergio Arellano, was acting as a direct representative of Pinochet at the time of the deaths.

Lagos, who was commander of the northern military garrison where most of the executions occurred, said that when he confronted Arellano, he produced a document "showing that Pinochet had appointed him as his personal delegate."

Victims 'didn't look like human bodies'

Lagos also told state television that he felt ashamed at seeing the bodies of the victims.

"They were destroyed. They didn't look like human bodies, so I had to arrange them, to leave them in a more decent shape" before handing the bodies over to the families.

The executioners "removed the eyes of some victims with knives, broke their jawbones, their legs," Lagos said.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Sources: army stance led Pinochet to agree to tests
January 9, 2001
Chile's Pinochet fails to appear for mental evaluation
January 7, 2001
Chilean court overturns Pinochet indictment
December 20, 2000
Chilean Supreme Court could rule on Pinochet case this week
December 18, 2000

Amnesty International: Pinochet
Pinochet Foundation (in Spanish)
Chile President (in Spanish)
Human Rights Watch: The Pinochet Prosecution
UK Home Office
Pinochet Victim's Page
Chile: Trial Against Pinochet in Spain

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.