Abuse of Chilean indigenous peoples questioned by human rights organizations
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) spoke out against human rights violations in the Araucanía region in south-central Chile on Thursday, calling on the government to investigate the chain of events last week resulting in the injuries of two minors by police bullets.
“The IACHR urges the state to investigate the facts and sanction those responsible, and to adopt measures in order to avoid in the future the excessive use of force in these operations,” the statement said.
The IACHR also urged the Chilean government “to adopt special measures of protection of children in this type of police action.”
Last week’s incident was the result of an eviction by police of 12 indigenous Mapuche protesters from the La Romana and Montenegro forestry plantations, which they had occupied. After protesters were transported to a nearby hospital, another scuffle broke out between Carabineros, Chile’s uniformed police, and other Mapuches who were at he hospital to visit the detained protesters. In the struggle, a 12- and 16-year-old were hit by police buckshot.
The IACHR declaration also said that on the way to the hospital, the protesters “allegedly suffered humiliation, were beaten and sexually abused by the Carabineros”.
Violent confrontations such as these are not uncommon in the Araucanía region. According to figures from the regional district attorney’s office, 95 violent acts were registered in the region in the first five months of 2012, nearly triple the amount registered over the same period the year before. Many of these acts, such as last week’s occupation, are Mapuche protests carried out against private corporations, especially agricultural and forestry companies, which many Mapuches consider to be encroaching on their ancestral land.
This incident, coupled with the subsequent resolution by the government to increase police presence in the region, drew particular national and international attention. In the following days, opposition politicians requested a human rights observer from the UN South American High Commission of Human Rights and National Institute of Human Rights (INDH) Director Lorena Fries travelled to the region to produce a report on the situation.
Mapuche protesters also peacefully occupied the regional Unicef office, demanding the withdrawal of police forces from the region.
By Helen Cordery and David Pedigo - The Santiago Times
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Those parents attitude is from irresponsible people that must be not allowed to take care of their kids....because they are teaching them on violence and exposing them to the peace control meassures from the authority through the police forces as the Chilean Constitution demand to keep safe the people that is doing the job to give to their families a good life and to the country a better developement, peacefully and hardworking.
When somebody throw stones with slingshots, makes shots with a gun, put on fire a house or barracks, block the raods with big stones, trees and burning tires to isolate the quiet little farmer´s families to intimidate them, then the authorities response is well known wherever you were....to restore the order and to protect the victims from the cowards attacks.....Is it what Human Right pursue, isn´t it? Have those farmers and their families Human Rights too, haven´t them? Or...Are the Human Rights just for those that are supported by left wing NGO's and Gvts. as those indigenous are...?? The most of the indigenous
You need to stand in the shoes of the abused,even if its your imagination,for a while instead of blaming the abused.Thats another facet of abuse
In February a Mapuche policeman was shot and killed by a Chilean terrorist from the Lautarista organization, this organization “supports” Mapuche rights in Chile, but happily comes over the border to Argentina to kill a Mapuche policeman.
The whole thing about human rights is the ALL people have them regardless of their politics, but the Human Rights organizations that we have created believe that only left wingers have human rights.
Now that the Star of left wing Government, Hugo Chávez, has told us that the IACHR is a corrupt and useless organization where do the left wingers stand, a very interesting situation!!!
You can use genetics to determine whether some one is what he claims to be,but don't start saying how someone.
“In February a Mapuche policeman was shot and killed by a Chilean terrorist from the Lautarista organization, this organization “supports” Mapuche rights in Chile, but happily comes over the border to Argentina to kill a Mapuche policeman.”
Do you have any information about this? Who was this guy? I hope Cristina does not offer him “asylum” and a marriage into the staff of the casa rosada, like it happened with Apablaza.
The murderer's name is Antonio Salazar Oporto, so far nothing has been said or done by the Federal Government about this, there has been a constant manhunt in the area since February, but no arrests.
The local authorities believe that the murderer and his companion were helped by Mapuches living here in Argentina, as the manhunt has come up with nothing.
It was a killing,which of course,isn't good,but they happen all the time.Historically for a Mapuche,Neuquen and southern Chile were not separate countries in the sense they are today.The killer coming from Chile and killing in Argentina is exceptional in what way?A mirista killing a policeman is exceptional in what way?the policeman being Mapuche is significant in what way?
I don't understand the point being raised here.
The point is that Antonio Salazar Oporto, a non Mapuche mirista who claims to be supporting the Mapuche nation, kills a memeber of the nation he purports to support just because he works as a policeman.
If you don't see any incoherence in this situation, you have a very strange outlook on life and death!!!!!
I know you won't agree 10#,because you want to emphasise the senselessness of the event.Perhaps you could think of other senseless incident,such as some of Pinochets crimes,and use the same approach to viewing them.Remember that some killings send messages rather than have personal justification.I can think of many across a broad range of political spectrums
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