BBC News Online records the twists and turns of the Pinochet case and unlocks the dark secrets of the general's past.

Saviour or Tyrant?
Nick Caistor of the BBC's Latin America service profiles the former dictator. Plus a range of background briefings and articles from the BBC archives

• Years of repression
• 'Superjudge' with eye for the headlines
• Victor Jara: 'They couldn't kill his songs'
• 10 March 1998 - Richard Collings reports on the day General Pinochet officially retired as head of the Chilean army

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Personal perspectives on the Pinochet years
A British activist caught up in the events of 1973 tells of his memories. A Chilean parliamentarian explains why he believes the General must be freed.

• Spanish connection: Families demand justice
• Briton William Beausire 'returns' to haunt Pinochet
• Detainee 1973: Mike Gatehouse
• Pro-Pinochet deputy: Juan Antonio Coloma
• Exiled playwright: Ariel Dorfman

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'Not fit to stand trial'
UK Home Secretary Jack Straw says he is "minded" to release General Pinochet after accepting medical advice that he is not fit to be extradited.

• The legal lessons learned
• 'Minded to release': Text of statement
• 'Brain damage': leaked health report
• The charge sheet
• Pinochet arrested in London (17 October)
• Pinochet shadow over Straw's career

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Pinochet affair 'already a victory'
Exiled Chilean author Ariel Dorfman says that even if former dictator General Augusto Pinochet is not tried for human rights abuses, the extradition affair has been a "very strong step forward".

• The campaign to clear Pinochet
• Quote unquote: Reaction to the release
• The view from Chile

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You say: Extradite Pinochet
Hundreds of people e-mailed BBC News Online at the time of his arrest in the UK, two-thirds of them demanding the general's extradition.

• Talking Point: Online debate (in English)
• BBC World Service: Online debate (in Spanish)