Santiago - Chilean Justice on Friday sentenced General Manuel Contreras, the former boss of the dreaded secret police during Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's 1973-1990 regime, to 10 years in jail. The decision centred on the general's responsibility for the kidnapping of seven neighbourhood leaders in the slums area La Legua, in December 1973. The defence has already said it will appeal the decision.
The Appeals Court in Santiago also sentenced former officers Marcelo Moren Brito and Jose Friz Esparza, who took part in the operations.
The court called the events war crimes.
Of the seven people who were kidnapped, only two survived. The survivors testified in the case.
The remaining five were executed on December 22, 1973.
Since Pinochet's death in December 2006, more than 100 officers have been sentenced or charged for their involvement in human rights violations.
Some 3,000 people were killed or disappeared during the military regime, according to official reports, and a further 50,000 Chileans and foreigners suffered torture.
