World IN BRIEF : CHILE : Policemen’s Life Sentences Upheld

Chile’s Supreme Court upheld life prison terms for four policemen and a civilian in the 1985 killings of three communist activists, closing one of the bloodiest murder cases dating from the military regime. The court reduced from life to 18 years the prison term for a fifth policeman also convicted for the kidnaping and murder of the three men, whose bodies were found in a ditch with their throats cut, court spokesmen said. The case shocked Chileans for its brutality and because of the involvement of the proud carabineros police force. The murders brought international outrage, which later forced Police Chief Gen. Cesar Mendoza, a member of the then-ruling military junta, to resign.