Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has been placed under house arrest one day after the nation's Supreme Court ruled he was fit to face a trial on charges of kidnapping and murder for actions taken by the government under his rule.

The 89-year-old Pinochet was officially served with papers Wednesday afternoon at his home outside Santiago. Pinochet is presently recovering from a stroke he suffered in late December. He also suffers from dimentia, diabetes, gout and other ailments.

The charges stem from a 1970s action by Pinochet's government dubbed 'Operation Condor' which was designed to eliminate political opposition in Chile. Pinochet came to power in a U.S. supported military coup in 1973, ousting the Marxist leaning but democratically elected president of the country.

More than 3,000 people died in Chile due to government violence during Pinochet's reign between 1973 and 1990 and 27,000 more were tortured.

Many critics of the former dictator fear the case will never come to trial. Pinochet was under house arrest once before for a six week period in 2001.