Pinochet in hospital on eve of court ruling

Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was in a hospital yesterday recovering from a minor stroke, a day before court was to rule on a human rights case against him.

Military hospital officials said in a statement yesterday that Mr Pinochet was no longer in critical condition after a minor stroke on Saturday.

Mr Pinochet's weak health and senility are among factors judges on the Santiago Appeals Court will weigh in a ruling expected today on whether he should stand trial on charges of human rights violations.

Mr Pinochet, 89, who ruled Chile from 1973-1990, was charged this month with murder and kidnapping in the deaths and disappearances of 10 leftists under Operation Condor, an intelligence-sharing network of South American dictators who helped each other hunt down dissidents.