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Pinochet Supporters Gather in Chile

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November 25, 2000 

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Gen. Augusto Pinochet gathered across Chile Friday to mark his birthday and show support for the former dictator, who faces scores of criminal complaints stemming from alleged human rights abuses during his regime.

The Chileans celebrated at dinners in his honor. The main gathering was in Santiago. Pinochet did not attend, sending a video instead showing him sitting in his Santiago suburban home, wearing a dark blue suit and tie, his hands on a walking cane.

``I would have loved to be able to attend your gathering, but doctors do not allow me to go out after six in the afternoon,'' Pinochet said. ``I am still recovering from that pneumonia.''

Pinochet was hospitalized for 10 days earlier this month for what doctors said was an acute pneumonia in his left lung.

He will turn 85 on Saturday, but the Pinochet Foundation, a private group of supporters and former aides, organized the celebrations Friday night. Foundation president Hernan Briones said at least 50,000 people attended the series of dinners.

Pinochet has not been seen in public in weeks. His legacy still polarizes Chilean society. He faces 177 criminal complaints in connection with the abuses that reportedly occurred during his 1973-90 dictatorship. As a result of one of the complaints, he was stripped of his congressional immunity, paving the way for his trial.

The judge handling the case, however, ordered him to undergo neurological and medical exams before deciding to actually try him. No date has been set for the tests.

According to a report by the civilian government that succeeded Pinochet, 3,197 people were killed or made disappear during his long reign.