He became Commander-in-Chief of Chile’s armed forces in 1973 and in the same year masterminded the military coup that overthrew President Allende. He imposed a repressive military dictatorship until forced to call elections (December 1989), giving way to a democratically elected President in 1990. His regime has been accused of some 3000 political murders and other abuses of human rights. While recovering from an operation in London in 1998, he was arrested pending extradition to Spain to answer murder charges. He was released in 2000 on medical grounds. Following his return to Chile, he was charged with kidnapping and murder but subsequently declared mentally unfit to be tried.