Mapuche on hunger strike

Here is an Al Jazeera report:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=WxYUCkVTY64

Statement
presented by the Society for Threatened Peoples

Mr President,
distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

Despite
the Chilean Bicentenary
celebration of mainstream republican achievements and aspirations,
the Mapuche Nation have little to celebrate whilst still denied their
right to develop in accordance with their traditional spiritual
values. Thus Chile remains in contravention of the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ILO Convention
169 adopted by the State in 2008.

The
Mapuche Nation’s legitimate ancestral territory had been
successfully ecologically sustained in accordance with Mapuche
spiritual values, through thousands of years prior to the arrival of
European settlers. However since the forced genocidal annexation of
Mapuche territory in the 1860’s, the republics have progressively
laid claim to the resources contained therein, giving rise to a
sustained national resistance by the Mapuche people.

On July
12^th
2010, 35 indigenous Mapuche political prisoners, including two minors
committed to hunger strike, in order to highlight the historic abuses
of their people under internationally condemned Chilean Anti
Terrorist law. Today represents day 72 of their protest with 4
members already urgently admitted to hospital suffering from symptoms
of heart failure. In contravention of the Malta declaration, the
Chilean State have applied for permission to force feed strikers, an
action which Amnesty International cite as tantamount to torture. To
date the Chilean government have refused to engage in meaningful
dialogue with the strikers until they end their protest, despite
pressure from MEP’s and Chilean MP’s.

There
are currently 31 Mapuche on probation, 57
held in detention by the Chilean State, of these 30 are charged under
anti terrorist law as a result of their protest in defence of Mapuche
ancestral territory against the economic interests of landowners of
European descent, national and multi-national forestry, farming,
extraction and energy corporations, without the free and informed
prior consent required under international law.

The
militarization of Mapuche regions, simultaneous trial in both,
military and civil courts, pre-trial detention, the use of faceless
witnesses, application of anti terrorist law and the incarceration of
indigenous leaders and their families, by successive Chilean
governments must cease with immediacy in order to restore democracy
for all under Chilean State law.

Thank you

Nina Dean

Vice Secretary

Mapuche International
Link

United
Nations Human Rights Council -
15th
Session

Geneva,
13 September - 1 October 2010. 

Statement
by BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee
Rights

Thank
you Mr. President;

Honorable
Human
Rights Council.

The
issue of the right to development is something that is in vogue today
in latin and third
world countries,
presented as a symbol of the progress of a modern, civilized and
developed society.

However
all of this has a very dark and shadowy backdrop that contrasts with
the reality of modern times and technological progress, which does
not allow for the essence of Indian life and biodiversity to continue
between the two cultures. Respect for the human
rights of indigenous peoples
enshrined in the ILO Convention 169, is fully adopted by Chile,
however, this does not mean that there is a commitment and political
will of governments on the issue of the right to development, since
the whole world is witness to the ambiguous double moral standards
and populist discourse which is now being used by the Chilean
government, acting in the service of foreign economic
interests.

This
situation in our country has brought serious consequences, such as
forced impoverishment of the Mapuche communities, pollution of water,
the serious deterioration of the environment and natural resources
and the usurpation of our territory. The assertion of these rights
has led to a violent repression, including arbitrary arrests,
torture, raids on communities and even murders.

Currently
there are 35 Mapuche political
prisoners,
including two minors, on hunger strike, 32 of whom began their
protest on 12 July, having reached their 67th day, their health
status is of the utmost gravity. They were convicted under the Anti
–Terrorist
Act,
introduced during the military
dictatorship,
which criminalizes their just demands for the recovery of their
ancestral lands. As Chile is poised to commemorate the bicentenary of
its independence, the aspirations of the Mapuche people for their
rights continue to be violated and thus their right to
development.

 

Mr.
President, thank you very much

Victor
Manuel Ancalaf Llaupe

Community
Werken Choin-Lafkenche

Collipulli,
9th Region, Chile

Human
Rights Council

15th
Session

Item
4: Situation of Human Rights which requires the attention of the
Council

Geneva, 13 September - 1 October 2010.

(Statement
by the Indian Council of South America.)

 

Mr.
President,
Distinguished Delegates,

The
Mapuche, an indigenous people located in the south of the territories
now occupied by the States of Chile and Argentina are the target of
systematic repression by both states who threaten their existence.
The internal colonialist policy implemented by the Chilean state by
the illegal annexation of our territory, has for the past 127 years
triggered a wave of permanent protest by the Mapuche people,
exacerbated in recent decades.

Whilst
Chile celebrates the bicentennary of its independence from Spain, we
unequivocally reaffirm that the Chilean annexation of Mapuche
territory was illegal because it violated the treaties between the
Mapuche nation and the Spanish Crown. In fact, in the first fifty
years of the independence of Chile and Argentina, new treaties were
signed with the Mapuche nation which ratified and fortified the
border, thus recognizing the independence, sovereignty and
geographical jurisdiction of the Mapuche nation.

The
mobilizations of Mapuche communities in pursuit of their just
demands, have been criminalized, despite that these are in accordance
with the right to protest peacefully, within the rule of law and
democracy. The Chilean government continues to apply Terrorist Law to
Mapuche who struggle to recover their territories,initially
introduced by the military dictatorship, which violates their rights
to due process, through simultaneous trials in both military and
civilian courts.

The abuse of police power,
arbitrary searches and detention, detention of children and the
torture of detainees, have been widely documented by human rights
organizations both nationally and internationally. The Chilean
judicial system's failure to administer justice and just indigenous
political and historical reparation has led 35 Mapuche political
prisoners to commit to hunger strike, 32 of whom have endured 71 days
strike to date, as a result their health situation is extremely
grave, with many regularly rushed to hospital from their cells for
emergency treatment.

Finally,
despite the desperate calls from the Mapuche authorities, the
spokesmen of the detainees, church leaders, political parties in
Chile and the European Union, among others, in addition to the
various expressions of solidarity with the Mapuche prisoners at the
national and international level, the Chilean President refuses to
establish a dialogue with their representatives, stating that he
would only speak with the "true representatives of the Mapuche
people," presumably elected by his government, dismissing out of
hand the guidelines in this matter, agreed in international laws such
as, ILO Convention 169, ratified by Chile.

Thank
you very much, Mr. President,

Reynaldo Mariqueo

Werken
Mapuche (special envoy)
to
the European Union