A son of former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet has said today that his father is "ill, enraged and bothered," and "not in his right mind."
|
|
General Augusto Pinochet
|
Mr Augusto Pinochet Hiriart(55) has said that those who want Mr Pinochet to stand trial on human rights charges are mounting a "political trial" to "destroy a person who is already destroyed,".
"He is ill," Mr Pinochet Hiriart said, one day before the former leader was to appear face-to-face with the judge investigating his role in the murder of 75 people during the 1973 "Caravan of Death."
Mr Pinochet, 85, has been diagnosed as suffering from some dementia.
Tomorrow Mr Pinochet will face Judge Juan Guzman, who has sought to charge him with alleged human rights abuses committed during his 17-year rule.
Earlier this month, Mr Pinochet underwent medical tests to determine his fitness to stand trial, after which eight doctors reported that he suffered from "slight to moderate dementia."
However, one of the doctors said in a letter released today, that the diagnosis of "slight to moderate dementia" had been altered in the document presented to the court to read "moderate severity" dementia.
Neurologist Mr Luis Fornazzari said there had been a consensus agreement among the doctors that the correct diagnosis should be "light to moderate" dementia.
Mr Fornazzari, one of the doctors nominated to represent the prosecution in the medical examination, will therefore refuse to sign the final version of the report, Mr Contreras said.
Under Chilean law, a defendant suffering from dementia or insanity is deemed not responsible for any alleged criminal acts.
Judge Guzman, who is coordinating more than 200 lawsuits against Mr Pinochet, will question the ailing retired general at Mr Pinochet's family home in the upscale neighborhood of La Dehesa.
The interrogation has already been postponed three times.
Mr Pinochet, who took power in a bloody coup in September 1973, insists he is innocent of all charges relating to the estimated 3,000 foes and suspected opponents who were abducted and killed, or abducted and presumed killed, from 1973 until he left power in 1990.
AFP