Pinochet trial ruling delayed
Chilean judges have postponed a ruling on the fate of General Pinochet because they could not agree on whether he should be spared trial on health grounds.
A three-judge panel had been set to rule on the issue but the decision has been postponed for at least a week. One of the judges, Cornelio Villaroel, said the panel had not reached an agreement and that one of its members was travelling abroad.
Pinochet, 85, is charged with covering up 18 kidnappings and 57 killings that occurred shortly after he overthrew Marxist President Salvador Allende in a 1973 coup. Pinochet, who ruled until 1990, has denied responsibility.
Defence lawyers have asked the Santiago Court of Appeals panel to suspend a legal action against Pinochet on human rights charges because of his deteriorating health.
In a separate appeal, Pinochet's lawyers have asked the court to drop the charges against him. Another three-judge panel is to open a hearing on that appeal this week.
Pinochet suffers from diabetes and arthritis, has a pacemaker and has had at least three mild strokes since 1998, according to his doctors.
The retired general is in the Santiago Military Hospital, recovering from the emergency surgery he underwent on Sunday for a dental infection.
