[JURIST] Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet [JURIST news archive; BBC profile] can now face human rights charges stemming from the torture of thousands of citizens at Villa Grimaldi prison [Wikipedia backgrounder], an infamous political detention center run by Pinochet’s secret police between 1974 and 1977, thanks to a ruling issued Friday by the Supreme Court of Chile [official website, in Spanish]. The high court officially divested Pinochet of his immunity, upholding the January 2006 decision [JURIST report] of a Chilean appeals court and paving the way for charges to be filed against Pinochet. Current Chilean President Michelle Bachelet [BBC profile] and her mother, among others, were reportedly subjected to torture at Villa Grimaldi. Reuters has more.

The Chilean Supreme Court has also stripped Pinochet of immunity [JURIST report] on charges of tax evasion.