Chile's Augusto Pinochet -- the archetypal Cold War military dictator -- was declared mentally unfit on Monday to stand trial for death squad killings shortly after his 1973 coup, likely ending efforts to prosecute him.
The Appeals Court ruled that Pinochet, 85, suffers from such severe dementia that he cannot be prosecuted on charges of covering up 75 murders by the "Caravan of Death," an army unit that toured northern Chile by helicopter eliminating suspected leftists.
Police fired water cannon and tear gas at hundreds of people in central Santiago protesting against the court's decision, witnesses said.
Four protesters were arrested at the march in and around the Paseo Ahumada pedestrian thoroughfare late on Monday.
The decision, taken by a 2-1 vote of a panel of judges, is technically a suspension of the charges against Pinochet and can be appealed.
But few in Chile now believe Pinochet will ever appear in court because of the time-consuming appeals process, the ex-general's age and an unwillingness to reopen old wounds from his 1973-1990 rule.
"I think, unfortunately, that this is as far as the Pinochet case goes," prosecutor Juan Bustos said.
Legal experts say some 250 other cases against Pinochet in Chile are now likely to crumble.
One of the former dictator's sons expressed relief. Pinochet is believed to have diabetes and aides say he has suffered at least two strokes in recent years.
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