Freed former dictator Augusto Pinochet received a noisy welcome as he arrived back on Chilean soil today although members of the country’s socialist government did not take part. He was greeted with cheers and tears from members of his family and top military brass who staged the welcome at Santiago's international airport.
The 84-year-old smiled and waved as he abandoned his wheelchair and walked away from the aircraft at the end of a 24-hour journey, sparking renewed controversy over his state of health. Critics said Pinochet appeared in surprisingly good health for someone who had been declared too ill to stand trial for human rights abuses, and they expressed dismay at the rapturous reception.
The Chilean army has said it is giving its entire support to the general. Senior military figures and other supporters turned out in large numbers to watch the aircraft carrying Pinochet arrive. The Chilean government has said that the operation is entirely in the hands of the army.
The Chilean President has welcomed the release of the general. In a brief televised address, President Eduardo Frei said that to have held him any longer would have damaged the country's reconciliation process. A former legal adviser to the Chilean government, Jaime Largos, says that General Pinochet's immunity from prosecution as Senator will not necessarily save him from a trial. However, human rights activists in Chile have accused the government of protecting Pinochet.
General Pinochet spent the last 17 months in southern England, while the British Government considered an extradition request from Spain. He was flown home yesterday from an RAF station in Lincolnshire after the Home Secretary, Jack Straw, decided to drop extradition proceeding on medical grounds. After his arrival in Chile, General Pinochet was taken to a military hospital for a medical check up.
