SANTIAGO (AFP) - Augusto Pinochet has lost nearly all his memory, said a physician chosen by the former dictator's defense team to deliver a medical assessment that could determine whether the retired general stands trial.
"He is much worse" than three years ago, said neurologist Sergio Ferrer.
"He has deteriorated generally, now he cannot even sit."
Judge Juan Guzman Tapia ordered the examination by Ferrer and two other physicians in response to defense lawyers who say Pinochet, 88, should not stand trial.
Ferrer spoke after delivering his examination results to Guzman Tapia four days early. The other two physicians have until Friday to do so.
Guzan Tapia wants to prosecute Pinochet on his participation in Operation Condor, a conspiracy of 1970s military dictatorships to eliminate opponents and spirit their bodies to countries in the plot: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Guzman Tapia brought charges on behalf of families of 19 alleged victims.
Although some 3,000 opponents to the regime were killed during Pinochet's 1973-1990 government, the former dictator has never faced trial, claiming to suffer a dementia that would not allow him to properly defend himself.
Lawyers for Pinochet and for families of the 19 alleged victims agreed on the selection of the three psychiatrists.
The doctors gave a series of tests to measure Pinochet's mental abilities and his memory of recent and past events, according to medical sources.
They also took note of Pinochet's physical condition, especially diabetes and arthritis, and a heart problem requiring a pacemaker.
Chile's Supreme Court backed Pinochet's claim of mental incompetence prior to a 2002 television interview in Miami, in which the former general appeared lucid and joked with his interviewer.
In August, the high court revoked his immunity from prosecution, which had been granted to him as a former head of state, allowing Guzman Tapia to interrogate Pinochet.
Last week, Pinochet denied any knowledge of Operation Condor.
Guzman Tapia charged him in 2001 in connection with the "Caravan of Death" case," in which a band of officers roamed the country summarily executing suspected opponents shortly after the September 1973 coup that propelled Pinochet to power.