Chile's Supreme Court stripped Gen Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution yesterday, paving the way for the former dictator to be forced to stand trial for alleged human rights abuses.
Hundreds of Pinochet opponents, who had waited outside the building housing the country's highest tribunal for the formal ruling, jumped for joy. Others celebrated what they regarded as a human-rights victory.
The court announced that its 20 judges had voted 14-6 against Pinochet's keeping his shield from prosecution as a senator in the upper house of Chile's Congress.
"The evidence [against Pinochet] presented in the case was so overwhelming," Mr Juan Bustos, a human rights lawyer, told reporters.
In May, a Santiago court voted 13-9 to remove Pinochet's immunity from prosecution. Pinochet (84) appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court, which upheld the decision. The Supreme Court ruling cannot be appealed.
A flood of charges can now be lodged against the former commander-in-chief of the army. However, he could avoid trial in Chile if he is deemed "mad" or "demented" by doctors.
Sources revealed last week that a majority of the 20 Supreme Court judges had decided to take away Pinochet's protection, but swore silence until the verdict was transcribed and signed.
Pinochet's supporters revere him as a saviour who stopped Chile from turning into a Marxist state under Allende. "The defence will continue until we prove the absolute innocence and non-participation of Senator Pinochet in the events [he is accused of]," defence attorney Mr Gustavo Collado said.
Since returning to Chile last March, Pinochet has been spotted in public only rarely. He has not spoken in public since his return.