A Chilean-born woman accused of participating in kidnappings during the military rule of Augusto Pinochet has lost her latest legal bid to avoid extradition, paving the way for her return to Chile to stand trial.

Adriana Rivas, aged seventy-two, had challenged an order for her surrender from Australia, where she has lived for decades.

The Federal Court dismissed her appeal, confirming that the charges against her—classified as aggravated kidnapping—meet the legal requirements for extradition.

Chilean authorities allege that Rivas was involved in the abduction and disappearance of seven political opponents between nineteen seventy-six and nineteen seventy-seven while working for the National Intelligence Directorate, the regime’s security agency.

The accusations form part of longstanding investigations into abuses committed during that period.

Her legal team argued that the alleged offences should instead be treated as crimes against humanity, which they said would complicate or invalidate the extradition process under Australian law.

The court rejected this argument, ruling that the case had been properly framed within the extradition treaty as ordinary criminal offences.

Rivas, who moved to Australia in nineteen seventy-eight and later worked as a nanny and cleaner in Sydney, has consistently denied the allegations.

She was arrested in twenty nineteen following Chile’s request for extradition and has since pursued multiple legal avenues to resist being returned.

The ruling marks a significant development in a case that has spanned years of legal proceedings across jurisdictions.

It also reflects ongoing efforts to address unresolved cases linked to the Pinochet era, during which thousands of people were detained, disappeared, or subjected to abuses.

Under the court’s decision, Rivas has a limited period to lodge any further appeal.

If no successful challenge is made, she is expected to be transferred to Chilean authorities to face trial on the kidnapping charges.

Families of the alleged victims and advocates for accountability have welcomed the outcome as a meaningful step toward resolving cases that have remained open for decades.