(3 Aug 2000) English/Nat
XFA
The Spanish judge behind the 1998 arrest of Augusto Pinochet for crimes against humanity remained tight lipped on Thursday on news that the former dictator had been stripped of his immunity from prosecution.
Baltazar Garzon declined to comment, but the investigative judge is thought to feel vindicated at Tuesday's decision by Chile's Supreme Court to strip Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution.
Although the decision was not made public by the Supreme Court it was leaked through Chilean media reports and legal teams from the prosecution side.
Chile's Supreme Court stripped former dictator General Augusto Pinochet of immunity from prosecution, paving the way for the former dictator to stand trial on human rights charges.
But the court refused to publicly release its ruling.
But lawyer Hugo Gutierrez, who represents one of the plaintiffs accusing the 84-year-old general of rights abuses, said he had "fully confirmed" the Supreme Court justices removed Pinochet's immunity on Tuesday.
Demonstrations in favour of Pinochet took to the streets of Santiago to protest his innocence following the news.
Lawyers working on behalf of Pinochet's victims brought new evidence to Spanish judge Baltazar Garzon's attention in Spain, enabling him to file his case against the former dictator.
Garzon was the man who first called for Pinochet to be tried on crimes against humanity.
An attorney in the case against the former dictator Joan Garces said that the decision of Chile's Supreme Court should have happened many years ago.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"This is an important decision, it is the first time in 25 years that the Supreme Court of Chile, which has been closed to trying to prosecute crimes against humanity, has opened its position and has accepted to lift the immunity granted to himself by Pinochet appointing himself Senator of Life that is very important."
SUPERCAPTION: Joan Garces, Co-ordinator legal team
Pinochet faces 154 criminal complaints stemming from human rights abuses during his 1973-90 dictatorship, but he cannot be tried unless his congressional legal immunity is removed.
A lower court stripped Pinochet of that immunity earlier this year, and Pinochet appealed. The Supreme Court's 20 justices met for four hours Tuesday to hear the appeal but did not release a decision afterward.
Despite the official secrecy, Chilean media reports said the court turned down Pinochet's appeal, and many said the vote was 11-9 against Pinochet.
The case against Pinochet has set a precedent for other similar investigations against political leaders, he added.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"In our original idea, we were seeing this case as a way of helping the Chilean courts to become independent and to open the doors to investigate cases of crimes against humanity. Things changed and have evolved in a different way when Pinochet travelled aboard to a country such as the UK which is linked to Spain, by bi and multi lateral treaties. So the original idea of this case has been adapted by the circumstances. However finally he is facing the Chilean courts that is what we would have liked to have happened many years ago.
SUPERCAPTION: Joan Garces, Co-ordinator legal team
Garces started to co-ordinate witness testimony against Pinochet in 1996.
Speaking to APTN, he explained how the original idea of his investigations were to aid Chile in opening its' judicial system to investigate crimes against humanity.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
SUPERCAPTION: Joan Garces, Co-ordinator legal team
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