The trial of Gen Augusto Pinochet for alleged human rights violations has been temporarily suspended. A court in Santiago ruled yesterday that the former Chilean dictator was too ill to be tried.
The trial of Gen Pinochet (85), who was in power from 1973 to 1990, could resume if the general's health improves. But that possibility is considered remote.
The general suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis, has a pacemaker and has had at least three mild strokes since 1998, according to his doctors.
The three-judge panel of the Santiago Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to suspend the legal action. Prosecution lawyers said they would seek a reversal of the ruling.
"This ruling is the result of political pressures over the court," said lawyer Mr Eduardo Contreras. "But Pinochet will still go into history as having been indicted on human rights charges. The trial was suspended only because he is allegedly ill or crazy."
Gen Pinochet is charged in connection with the so-called Caravan of Death, a military operation that killed 75 political prisoners shortly after the 1973 coup in which he ousted Marxist President Salvador Allende. He faces charges of covering up 18 kidnappings and 57 homicides. The former dictator has denied responsibility for the deaths.
Chilean law only exempts from prosecution those pronounced mad or demented, but Gen Pinochet's lawyers insisted the retired general's poor health prevented him from properly organising his defence, thus depriving him of his constitutional right to a just trial.
The former dictator was kept under house arrest in London for 16 months at the request of a Spanish judge who wanted to try him, but Britain allowed him to return to Chile on health grounds. Human rights lawyers who led attempts to put Gen Pinochet on trial in Spain said the collapse of a case was a blow to efforts to end impunity.
"This serves to guarantee impunity and it is unacceptable from the point of view of the justice system," said Mr Carlos Slepoy, an Argentine lawyer involved in bringing a case against Pinochet before Spain's High Court.
In London, Human rights group Amnesty International said it regretted the ruling.
"It is a shame that, after such a long time, judicial authorities have not been able to reach an answer for the relatives of the victims," said Amnesty's Ms Virginia Shoppee. Amnesty has been one of the main pressure groups campaigning for Gen Pinochet to stand trial.