The Party Red, Norway, expresses her concerns upon the rights of the Mapuche political prisoners currently detained at Concepción’s (Chile) Penitentiary Centre, El Manzano, on a hunger strike from Monday July 12th.
The President of ChileMr Sebastian Piñera
Minister of Interior
Mr Rodrigo Hinzpeter
Letter of concern for the Mapuche political prisoners on hunger strike.
The Party Red, Norway, expresses her concerns upon the rights of the Mapuche political prisoners currently detained at Concepción’s (Chile) Penitentiary Centre, El Manzano, on a hunger strike from Monday July 12th.
We are protesting the unjust, politically biased and judicial prosecutions that they seems to be objected by the State, beeing subjected to mockery open trials conducted by the Public Ministry.
It seems to us that The Chilean State are favouring corporate sectors’ interests who are involved in the confrontation with the Mapuche Nation and whose desire is to harass and annihilate the Mapuche movement. The just struggle of the Mapuche communities seems to be criminalized. Harsh and dictatorial laws seeking to repress the legitimate social leaders are imposed. We regret that also Norwegian firms, like the state dominated Cermaq, have taken part in this exploitation in Mapuche territories.
At the same time we notice that a strong and grotesque anti-Mapuche campaign are orchestrated by the corporate sectors of the economic and political right in Chile. They use their media, their prosecutors and their police forces in order to obtain public’s acceptance of severe pre-trial convictions.
To the Party Red, Norway, the demands put forward by the hunger strikers seems just and rightful:
«1. To stop the implementation of the anti-terrorist law in all Mapuche cases. This implies an end of the
antiterrorist law made by Pinochet.
2. No more prosecution by the Military Justice in all Mapuche cases. This implies an end of the use of
Military Justice in Chile.
3. The release of all Mapuche political prisoners from all different jails of the Chilean State.
To achieve this it is necessary:
1. To accept our demand for the right to have due process or fair trials.
2. The end to political and judicial mockery trials, which involve the use of external prosecutors and entirely flawed process. We must end the use of faceless witnesses and of practices that violate basic human rights such as extortion, threats, physical and psychological torture and degrading conditions in the detention centres.
4. Demilitarization in all Mapuche areas and to allow the communities to assert their political and
territorial rights.»
Oslo, Norway, July 13th 2010
The Party Red, Norway
Ana Taylor López, vice leader Arnljot Ask, responsible international
RØDT Osterhausgt. 27 0183 Oslo
22 98 90 50 •
