SANTIAGO, Aug 26 (AFP) - Chile's Supreme Court on Thursday stripped former dictator Augusto Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution for the disappearance of thousands of political opponents during his 1973-1990 rule.
Following is a chronology of the rise and fall of the man who ruled Chile with an iron fist for almost 17 years and has been accused of grave human rights violations.
1915
Nov 25: Augusto Pinochet Duarte is born in the port city of Valparaiso to a family of Breton descent and modest means. He does not excel at any level of schooling, including a military academy.
1973
Sept 11: Pinochet participates in a military coup, which topples elected Socialist president Salvador Allende.
In the following years, thousands of persons were killed or disappeared while under custody of Pinochet's secret police (DINA), while tens of thousands of Chileans flee their country.
1974
Pinochet, rotating head of a four-man junta, imposes one-man rule in Chile and rules by decree.
1980
A constitution inspired by Spanish fascist dictator Francisco Franco is ratified in a referendum tainted by ballot-stuffing and a questionable vote-counting procedure.
1982
Chile's banks collapse and the economy shrinks 14 percent.
1988
Aug 30: The armed forces name Pinochet their candidate in a plebiscite that would extend his presidency for an additional eight-year term.
Oct 5: Fifty-five percent of voters reject the proposal that Pinochet should stay in power.
1989
Dec 14: The leader of the Christian Democratic opposition, Patricio Aylwin, wins the presidential election, ending to over 16 years of dictatorship. However, Pinochet remains head of the armed forces.
Aylwin names a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to account for human rights abuses during the dictatorship. It lists 3,197 people killed, including 850 whose bodies are missing.
1998
March 10: Pinochet steps down as head of the armed forces 25 years after being appointed to the post by Allende.
March 11: Pinochet becomes senator-for-life, guaranteed to ex-presidents under the 1980 Constitution.
Oct: Pinochet undergoes a back operation in a London clinic. As he awakens in his hospital bed, Scotland Yard agents hand him a Spanish arrest warrant. The former dictator is detained in his hospital room.
Nov 6: Spain requests Pinochet's extradition. Chile recalls its ambassador in Madrid.
2000
March 2: Britain releases Pinochet after 503 days in detention citing medical grounds.
March 11: Ricardo Lagos is inaugurated as president, becoming Chile's first Socialist head of state since Salvador Allende, who committed suicide during the 1973 military coup.
2002
July 1: Chile's Supreme Court closes the case against Pinochet on charges of murder and kidnapping, granting him immunity from prosecution.
2003
November: In Miami, Florida, Pinochet jokes with a television interviewer and says he feels like "an angel" while denying responsibility for the thousands who disappeared under his rule.
2004
July 15: A US Senate probe finds a US bank laundered millions for Pinochet. Chilean government begins corruption investigations.
May 28: A lower court strips Pinochet of his immunity, saying strong evidence exists that he bears responsibility for the disappearance of political opponents under Operation Condor.
Aug 26: Chile's Supreme Court votes 9-8 to uphold the lower court's ruling to revoke Pinochet's immunity, clearing the way for the ex dictator to face criminal charges.