President Ricardo Lagos signed the law that abolished...

President Ricardo Lagos signed the law that abolished the death penalty. On April 10, 2001 Chile's lower house of Congress agreed to abolish the death penalty and replace it with a maximum sentence of life in prison. With 78 votes in favour, one against and eleven abstentions the members of Parliament also established that after 40 years incarceration the prisoner could ask to released on bail. The decision was reached after a mixed commission of senators and members of parliament prepared an added clause that gave the Supreme Court such powers. Chilean Justice Minister Juan Antonio Gomez said the move simply brought legislation into line with judicial practice in Chile, since judges seldom applied the death penalty. Chile's military courts will retain the death penalty but it can only be applied in times of war, the justice minister said. On April 3, Chile's lower house of Congress voted to abolish the death penalty with a vast majority of 65 votes for, 37 against and three abstentions. It did not solve the disagreemnet between Chamber and Senate about the Supreme Court's faculty to decide on parole options for those senteced to life. The Senate had already approved the bill in December 2000. Justice Minister Jose Antonio Gomez said: "This is a historic day, because we have reached something that was unthinkable just a few years ago. We have removed from our codes an irrational and inhuman law.