Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet began a second day of medical exams Thursday at the Military Hospital here aimed at determining his mental fitness to stand trial for human rights abuses during his 17-year rule, witnesses said.
Pinochet, 85, will undergo four days of physical and mental tests by a panel of eight doctors, after which he is scheduled to be questioned Monday by Judge Juan Guzman Tapia, on murder and kidnapping charges.
The charges are related to the disappearance of 75 political prisoners in October 1973, when a military unit dubbed the "Caravan of Death" sowed terror across Chile following the military coup that brought Pinochet to power.
Pinochet arrived at Military Hospital in an armored-plated limousine under police escort.
Chile's Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a request by Pinochet's lawyers to remove Guzman from the case.
Defense attorney Ambrosio Rodriguez, meanwhile, said he expected Guzman to rule by Monday on whether Pinochet -- who suffers from several age-related degenerative disorders as well as cardiovascular problems and diabetes -- will have to stand trial.
"We have accepted the medical exams on the understanding that they will be carried out exclusively at the Military Hospital and that, once the report is complete, the judge will determine on the merits of the report whether or not (Pinochet) is in a fit state to respond to the interrogation," Gutierrez said.
Between his visits to hospital, Pinochet rests at home -- SANTIAGO (AFP)
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