Tuesday 18 July 2006, 1:24 Makka Time, 22:24 GMT
Chile's supreme court has removed the former dictator, Augusto Pinochet's immunity to reopen a case against him involving the "Caravan of Death" murder squad that operated during his regime.
On Monday, the country's highest court accepted a petition to withdraw Pinochet's immunity as a former president so he could face charges involving the murder of two personal aides of former president, Salvador Allende, whose ouster in a 1973 coup led to Pinochet's 17-year authoritarian rule.
The "Caravan of Death" was a military squad which travelled around the country killing dozens of people after the coup to eliminate opponents of the new regime.
Six years ago, relatives of the dead and missing successfully had Pinochet, 90, charged in the "Caravan of Death" murders of 75 people after convincing the court to remove his immunity in that case.
However, in July 2002 the supreme court halted the proceedings on the basis that the aged former dictator suffered from dementia and was not fit to stand trial.
The two victims in the case heard on Monday were not listed among the 75 in the first case. full: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/AC925C90-F723-4CA0-80F2-D6260212463E.htm