Chile: New outbreaks of police violence in Aysén
((El Clarín photo))
[Translation of an article from El Clarín for Feburary 24. See original here and related article here. Aysén, in southern Chile, is one of the 15 administrative subdivisions, or regions, into which Chile is divided. Each region is headed by an intendant appointed by the president. Regions are further divided into provinces, of which there are 54, which are headed by governors, also appointed by the president. Puerto Aysén, the site of recent demonstrations, is a city in the region of Aysén. The sparsely inhabited region is physically isolated from the rest of the country, making the cost of living high and resulting in neglect by the national government and poorly developed infrastructure. Plans to build hydroelectric plants and transmission lines in the pristine region have in recent times met determined opposition from environmentalists and residents of the area.]
New confrontations were seen Wednesday evening at the Ibáñez bridge in [Puerto] Aysén, where demonstrators are demanding better living conditions in the region. The confrontations are in addition to barricades set up by people in several other towns in favor of the demands of the citizen movement.
During the demonstrations, there were cadenazos [sabotage of electrical power lines by throwing chains on them] that caused power outages in some areas of the city, according to reports by 24 Horas.
A vigil and a cacerolazo [demonstration involving banging on pots and pans] in support of Aysén had filled the Plaza de Armas in [the regional capital of] Cayhaique earlier, Radio Cooperativa reports. The organizers of the demonstration called for similar actions to take place every day at 10:00pm at the same place to support the demands of the Aysén residents.
Wednesday was marked by Aysén residents’ accusations of the use of steel shotgun pellets during the morning demonstrations, which the carabineros [militarized national police] deny.
According to Óscar Oettinger, the carabinero commander for Aysén, “We were attacked with axes, we were attacked with flares, with Molotov cocktails, which forced me to use the anti-riot shotgun in these cases to insure the physical safety of our carabineros.”
Meanwhile, concerning mobilization by the inhabitants of Aysén to demand their rights and the violent reaction by state organs, the Comisión Ética contra la Tortura (CECT – Ethical Committee against Torture) declared on Thursday, “They are in error, which leads to immorality because they respond to the legitimate demands of a people with violence and insist on a technocratic economic program as an absolute. This means that the market is the means, the method and the goal that determines relations among human beings.”
Amnesty International, meanwhile, has called on Chilean authorities to guarantee that police authorities not use excessive force against public demonstrations taking place in Aysén, in southern Chile. Likewise, it calls for speedy and impartial investigation into charges of police violence committed during these protests.
The social movement in Aysén began in mid-February with diverse demands, including compensation for the cost of living in the region, improvements in education, appropriate utilization of natural resources and citizen participation. This has developed into public demonstrations which, according to reports received by Amnesty International and press reports, have resulted in dozens of cases of hospitalization for asphyxiation due to tear gas, and impact injuries from tear gas canisters and pellets on the body and the face. One person was treated for impact by a pellet in the eyes, which later resulted in a loss of vision in one eye.
During the demonstrations there were detentions, some of which lasted several hours. Amnesty International is concerned by charges of beatings and mistreatment of detained persons and charges of lack of access to medical attention.
“Once again we see in the context of a social protest that there is a large number of charges of the use of excessive force, the unnecessary utilization of tear gas, the use of metal pellets and detentions that could be arbitrary,” said Ana Piquer, executive director of Amnesty International – Chile.
[Christian Democrat] Senator Patricio Walker denounced in La Moneda the possible use of metal pellets by the carabineros during protests in the Aysén region and charged there was disproportionate activity by the police force.
The parliamentarian, who represents the region in conflict, made the claim to Under Secretary of the Interior Rodrigo Ubilla. “That is why I say that the actions by the carabineros have been disproportionate, because the feeling of the people is that it should be directed against the infiltrators, those promoting violence, those who are in effect acting like criminals, but not against people who are protesting peacefully,” the legislator told Radio Cooperativa.
Minister [of Health] Jaime Mañalich on Thursday charged that the Patagonio Sin Represas movement [Patagonia without Dams] was behind the citizen mobilizations in the Aysén region, now in their second week, Radio Bío Bío reports.
The head of Health, who visited the area last Monday, accused the movement, which opposes the HidroAysén project of building hydroelectric plants in the region, and in particular the spokesman for that organization, Patricio Segura, of being responsible for seeking to avoid reaching an agreement in dialogues with government authorities at the negotiating table. “I think the role of Patagonia Sin Represas is absolutely clear and certain, to the degree that one of the principal directors of that movement in Aysén is Mr Segura, who is an employee of Patagonia Sin Represas,” he declared in an event in Los Ángeles with President Piñera.
Tags: Amnesty International, Aysen, carabineros, Chile, citizen protests, Comision Etica contra la Tortura, HidroAysen, Jaime Manalich, Patagonia Sin Represas