Public Statement from Mapuche organisations on the murder of Alex Lemun

Wednesday November 13, 2002

Last Thursday the 7th. of November on the Santa Elisa estate in the county of Ercilla, our brother EDMUNDO ALEX LEMUN SAAVEDRA was shot and wounded by the police. He dies five days later on Tuesday the 12th. at around 6 am. In the face of these events the Mapuche organisations of Temuco wish to make the following statement:

Today the Mapuche nation is in mourning after the death of our brother, a martyr, who has paid the price of freedom with his life and who gives us courage and inspiration to fight with greater strength to regain the land which is ours and which sustains the essence of our being.

The murder of our brother by the Chilean state shows the racism and extreme violence with which the current government has tried silence our just demands.

EDMUNDO, by sacrificing your life for the return of our ancestral rights - rights denied by the secret belief in racial superiority which exists in the minds of those who are today rulers of a country supposedly in the process of development - you have left in our hearts that strength which drives people whose thirst for justice has long gone unquenched.

We also want to say that this event again exposes the way the police and the Chilean state clearly provoke our people

As organisations, institutions and students we call for all the regional bodies which make up the Mapuche nation to come together in various demonstrations to show our rejection of the repressive approach taken by the Chilean state towards the problems of the Mapuche.

The funeral will be on Thursday the 14th in the Requen Lemun community in the county of Ercilla.

We invite all public and trade union organisations to join in a demonstration on Monday the 18th at 12pm., leaving from Plaza Hospital.

Corporación NEWEN
Centro de Documentación LIWEN
Agrupación Mapuche KONAPEWMAN
Coordinación de comunidades en conflictos ambientales – IX Región
Aukin Ko Zomo
Asoc. Gremial Ad-Mapu
Carrera de Educación Básica Intercultural – UCT
Programa Compensatorio – UCT
We Kintun
Estudiantes Mapuche Secundarios
Hogar y Centro de Desarrollo Sociocultural Mapuche (Las Encinas)
Hogar Pvrampeyvm Zugu
Hogar Padre las Casas
Ayja Rewe de Xuf Xuf
Asoc. Indígena para la Salud Makewe Pelale
casa de Arte Mapuche "Mapu Nuke Kimce Wejin
Identidad Territorial Lafkenche
Coordinadora de Comunidades en Conflicto de Collipulli
Asociación Ñancucheo de Lumaco
Consejo de Werkenes del Lago Budi
Comunidad José Gineo Ñanco “Rofue”
Asoc. Pikun Füta Huillimapu de Valdivia

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Agrupación Mapuche de Temuko Konapewman
organización de jóvenes técnicos y profesionales
konapewman@hispavista.com
http://www.galeon.com/pewman

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