An Argentinian federal judge has today ordered the preventive detention in Chile, pending extradition, of former Chilean dictator Mr Augusto Pinochet.
Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral ordered the detention of Mr Pinochet for his role in a plan to crush opposition to South American military governments in the 1970s and 1980s.
The judge also asked the foreign ministry to speed its extradition request so the ailing Mr Pinochet could be made to appear before an Argentine court.
Courts in Chile have ruled Mr Pinochet (85) unfit to stand trial in connection with murders and disappearances of opponents during his dictatorship from 1973 to 1990.
Judge Canicoba Corral also requested an international arrest warrant for Uruguayan former army chief Mr Julio Cesar Vadora.
Earlier this month, in a court order more than 500 pages long, Judge Canicoba Corral said he believed Argentinian former military ruler Mr Jorge Videla (76) took part in an "aggravated illicit association" with other militaries in the Southern Cone to crack down on real and alleged political foes.
AFP