SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) – A Chilean judge questioned Gen. Augusto Pinochet Saturday about the disappearance of leftist political opponents during his 1973-90 dictatorship, but cut the interrogation short because of the former leader’s poor health.

Judge Juan Guzman, who indicted Pinochet in 2001 in a different human rights case that was blocked by Chile’s Supreme Court, said he ended the session after about 30 minutes – instead of the planned one hour, and asked only six questions.

“I saw his face much more congested than the last time I saw him,” Guzman said after the questioning. “He answered all my questions directly.”

Guzman said he will have Pinochet examined by doctors before deciding on the next step in the legal process, which centers in the so-called “Operation Condor,” a joint plan developed in the 1970s by the dictatorships then ruling several South American nations to suppress dissent.

Court officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Guzman planned to question Pinochet on what he knew about Condor, especially his close relationship with the head of the Chilean secret service at the time.

According to court documents, 20 Chileans died as victims of Condor, which involved the secret services of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. A report by the civilian government that succeeded Pinochet said 3,197 people died or disappeared during his regime.

Guzman is now expected to decide if evidence warrants indicting Pinochet for abuses under Condor, or to order medical tests to determine whether the 88-year-old retired general can stand trial.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2001 that Pinochet was mentally and physically unfit to stand trial in the earlier case, saying he had been diagnosed with mild dementia, diabetes and arthritis and was using a heart pacemaker.

Last month, however, the court cleared the way for a possible new indictment by stripping Pinochet of the immunity from prosecution he enjoyed as former president.

That ruling was prompted at least in part by Pinochet giving an interview to a Miami television station in which he appeared lucid while blaming subordinates for his regime’s abuses.

One of Pinochet’s lawyers, Gustavo Collado, said Pinochet was “very tired” after the questioning and required attention from a doctor.

Collado, who was at the house with Pinochet’s daughter and son, said Guzman acted “in an extremely respectful manner” and Pinochet, “in spite of his poor health and his age, was able to answer all the questions with the dignity of a man, a soldier and a former president.”

Pinochet’s lawyers have argued his health has deteriorated and he is unable to stand trial.

Pinochet was questioned by Chilean judges twice previously: in 2001, by Guzman, and last month when Judge Sergio Munoz asked him about the source of the $4 million to $8 million that Pinochet had in secret accounts at Riggs Banks in Washington in the mid-1990s.

Only four supporters of the former dictator gathered near the guarded mansion, chanting “Pinochet, Pinochet.” A woman held a Chilean flag.

“Others didn’t come because they are cowards who abandoned my general,” a man who would not give his name told reporters when asked about the small number of demonstrators.

In the past, dozens of supporters would gather for occasions like the legal questioning.