Official Statement Putting an End to the 4 Hunger Strikers in Victoria Hospital

June 9th 2011

We the signatories of this statement, convened by the Mapuche political prisoners on hunger strike, their lonko, machi and family, who share an interest in respect of all rights of the Mapuche people and who are committed to their promotion and defence. Therefore declare:

  1. Chile has committed through various international treaties to promote, respect and guarantee the political, territorial, economic, social, cultural and access to justice, without discrimination, in respect of both collective and individual native peoples. Compliance to which is required in all branches of the Chilean State.

  2. Despite this fact, it has increased the territorial dispossession, lack of political rights and, primarily, militarization, criminalization and prosecution of their legitimate demands, the responsibility for which falls on all branches of the Chilean State.

  3. It is an extremely serious stigma and discrimination which is faced by the Mapuche people, through the application of emergency laws, such as the Terrorism Law. The Law has been widely condemned for not conforming to international standards of due process. Responsibility which again falls on all branches of government, whom without exception, have failed to repeal or redraft Anti Terrorist law, whilst continuing to invoke and apply it.

  4. The context of the various hunger strikes of the Mapuche political prisoners, which underline a deeper problem has given way to their commitment to fulfil their obligations by participating in ‘the Commission for the Rights of the Mapuche people’, which we hope will joined by other actors. We make this commitment in the understanding that it is everyone's duty to promote those rights whilst we remain vigilant and will always continue to denounce any active and premeditated violations should they occur.

  5. This will be expressed in a body of work called Commission for the Rights of the Mapuche people.

  6. Therefore we call on the Government to open a permanent and transparent dialogue in order to progress the respect and the guarantee of the rights of indigenous peoples, in particular to reform the Anti Terrorist Law, as the President of the Republic indicated in his speech to the Congress, his willingness to conform to international human rights standards.

  7. Given this commitment our Mapuche brothers have decided to lift his hunger strike.

  8. We urge the whole society to adhere to this statement and to work for peace, the fruit of justice.

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Translated by Nina Dean
Mapuche International Link

 

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