A judge's decision to place former dictator Augusto Pinochet under house arrest for his role in the 1973 murders of 75 political opponents remains on hold until Chile's court of appeals rules midweek, judicial sources said Sunday.
Judge Juan Guzman Tapia, who is coordinating the more than 180 charges filed against the ex-dictator for human rights abuses during his 17-year regime, on Friday ordered Pinochet to be placed under house arrest for orchestrating what has been called the "caravan of death."
Some 75 lawmakers supportive of ousted Socialist president Salvador Allende were kidnapped and assassinated in October 1973 following the coup d'etat that fueled Pinochet's ascension to power, where he remained until 1990.
The fifth circuit of Chile's court of appeals will convene on Monday to examine the motion filed by Pinochet's lawyers Saturday, but is not expected to rule until midweek.
Before they rule, the three-member court will ask Guzman Tapia to explain his decision to order the house arrest for the former Chilean dictator, the source said.
According to Pinochet's defense team, Guzman Tapia's decision was fraught with illegalities, since the judge did not interrogate the former dictator and failed to carry out an examination of the former leader's mental state -- SANTIAGO (AFP)
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