Radio Mundo Real

In Chile, being Mapuche today is equivalent to being suspect of terrorism, if we take into account the 58 Mapuche people imprisoned by the “antiterrorist” law passed during the dictatorship which took place in the country.

This is what Paulina Acevedo, journalist and member of human rights organization Observatorio Ciudadano, said in an interview with Real World Radio.

On July 12th, 30 Mapuche prisoners started a hunger strike in Temuco, Concepción, Angol, Valdivia and Lebu prisons. They are demanding modifications to the antiterrorist law, the demilitarization of communities and freedom for the Mapuche political prisoners.

Paulina Acevedo said: “The Anti-terrorist law has been enforced basically against Mapuches and young people called “okupas””, who live in abandoned buildings and carry out cultural activities and political demands.

This has caused Mapuche people to be imprisoned for long periods, but ultimately being acquitted for lack of evidence.

In general, communities whose leaders are imprisoned are displaced, and their lands are occupied by timber industries and eucalyptus and pine monoculture plantations.

Paulina Acevedo also talked about the political context of the passing of the “anti-terrorist” law, and pointed out that there are several international organizations that have denounced, for instance, how outrageous it is that under this regulation, Mapuche children are being prosecuted.

“While the law has been reformed, these modifications were not substantial. Nowadays, Chile is the only Latin American country which continues enforcing the Military Justice System to civilians”, said Acevedo.

The media is also responsible for this, since they criminalize the Mapuche protests and condone human rights violations, such as the imprisonment of a 15-year-old Mapuche girl who has been accused of throwing stones at the police headquarters, without any evidence. “She is being prosecuted simply because she is the daughter of a Mapuche rebel leader”, said Paulina.

Children are tortured to obtain information, and they are shot and attacked. This is part of the Chilean reality that doesn´t allow Mapuches and other native peoples to enjoy their rights to land, among others.

In fact, this is not the only hunger strike carried out by Mapuche political prisoners. Prisoner Patricia Troncoso was in a hunger strike for a hundred days, which called the attention of the international community, almost resulting in the modification of this “anti-terrorist law”. Almost…

The work carried out by the advocates of Mapuche rights is broad, since it doesn´t only involve the “anti-terrorist law”, but also the multiple “mega-investment” projects, a symbol of the Chilean economic model.

Hydroelectric and geothermic power plants, and other projects to be installed in Mapuche territories are also a matter of rights, in a Chilean legislation that lacks of laws related to basins, migrants, etc.

Photo: www.observatorio.cl