Dr. Jose Venturelli (Ethical Commission Against Torture), UNPO and Members of the European Parliament have joined together in a discussion on the current situation facing the Mapuche people and future EU-Chile cooperation. These meetings came as a response to the growing awareness among the MEPs of human rights violations in Chile.
Below is a press release of Dr. Jose Venturelli's visit to the European Parliament:
The Mapuche People Under Continuous Repression
Brussels, 28 June 2012- A series of meetings in Brussels with members of the European Parliament on 6 & 19-20 June 2012 have enabled representatives of the Ethical Commission Against Torture (ECAT) to raise the issue of ongoing human rights violations against Mapuche people by the Chilean authorities.
Jose Venturelli, Patricio Aravena and Julio Laks, representatives of the ECAT, participated in a series of visits organized by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), during which they engaged in constructive discussions with Members of the European Parliament: Ana Miranda MEP, Barbara Lochbihler MEP, Gabriele Zimmer MEP, Willy Meyer MEP, and Antonio Correia de Campos MEP.
These meetings built upon the progress made from previous Mapuche advocacy visits in Brussels. The central issue continues to be the persistent human rights violations by the Chilean authorities, including assault of communities by the police forces and the torture of men, women, and children. The Ethical Commission Against Torture is publishing annual reports about human rights abuses in Chile, but the government has never taken them into consideration.
A clear outcome from the meetings was the need to provide the European Union with information from which it could gain an accurate image of what is happening in Chile.
More information on:
Ethical Commission Against Torture’s 2011 Annual Report here
Ethical Commission Against Torture's 2012 Annual Report here
Source: UNPO, July 3rd, 2012