London - The military cabal led by Gen Augusto Pinochet was immune from prosecution for its actions from the moment it agreed to launch its successful 1973 coup, the House of Lords was told yesterday.
Ms Clare Montgomery QC, for the general, told a panel of seven Law Lords that for an insurrectionary movement, the doctrine of state immunity applies from the time the rebellion is agreed to - providing it succeeds in seizing power. Meanwhile, the Chilean government intervened directly in the hearing for the first time yesterday, claiming that it was defending the principle of national sovereignty, not Gen Pinochet's record