Human-rights lawyers told an appeals court today Mr Augusto Pinochet knew leftists were being killed shortly after his 1973 coup and so should be prosecuted.
On the second day of a hearing, one of the lawyers, Mr Eduardo Contreras, also argued that the former strongman's advanced age - 85 - does not prevent him from properly defending himself against charges of rights abuses during his 1973-1990 rule.
Judge Mr Juan Guzman had ordered Mr Pinochet tried on charges he ordered the deaths of 57 leftists and the kidnapping of another 18.
He alleged they were victims of the Death Caravan, a military squad that flew by helicopter to cities around Chile in the weeks after Mr Pinochet's September 11, 1973, coup, leaving behind a trail of corpses. Family members and political prisoners say some were stabbed, mutilated and shot.
"I based my arguments on two points. First, that Mr Pinochet knew about the caravan . . . and, second, that his health is fine," Mr Contreras said to reporters after the hearing adjourned.
Mr Pinochet's lawyer, Mr Pablo Rodriguez, who spoke before the court on Tuesday, shrugged off the arguments.
Mr Rodriguez told reporters there was nothing new and that it was just a reiteration of what was already said.
Mr Guzman, the first Chilean judge to investigate the ex-dictator for rights abuses, ordered him tried in late January. Mr Pinochet has been under house arrest since January 31. Reuters