The Wire

Former President of Chile Augusto Pinochet is spending his 90th birthday under house arrest today, after a landmark court decision ruled he was responsible for the 1974 Operation Colombo killings in which 119 activists vanished. Pinochet has managed to avoid conviction in the past by claiming he is mentally incapable of representing himself, but this has now been dismissed as he also faces up to more than $26 million worth of tax fraud charges. Judges say Pinochet should soon face trial for seven kidnappings of Chileans, whose bodies were never found. Although the dictator is accused of organising more than 3000 murders, Chileans are celebrating this significant step towards justice. American journalist working in Chile’s Capital Santiago, Jonathon Franklin, warns that Pinochet’s power means he still has the ability to sway the law in his favour. He spoke with Neil Smart.