The World - News from May 18, 1988

Chile is obstructing attempts to uncover the fate of nearly 700 prisoners who vanished in the years after Gen. Augusto Pincochet came to power in a 1973 military coup, Amnesty International charged. “There can be little doubt that if the authorities had the political will to uncover the truth, the fate of all these people could be clarified,” the London-based human rights group said in a report. It said the plight of the prisoners has been documented to Chilean courts; however, in virtually all cases, the investigations were blocked by higher courts or the security forces.