NEW YORK -- The decision by Chilean Judge Juan Guzman Tapia on Dec. 13 to indict former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet on charges of kidnapping nine political dissidents and killing one of them during his 17-year military regime is a significant one for Chile. Guzman ruled that Pinochet, 89, is mentally competent to face a criminal trial.

Said Jose Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch: "This indictment is a great victory for Pinochet's victims. Whether this indictment leads to a trial or not, it is a historic achievement given the untrammeled power Pinochet enjoyed for decades."

Guzman's decision to indict Pinochet follows his questioning of him and an examination of reports from court-appointed doctors. The decision was also based on an interview that the former dictator had with TV reporter Maria Elvira Salazar on Channel 22 in Miami late last year, during which Pinochet appeared mentally alert and unrepentant concerning his past.