I support the social mobilizations in Chile and condemn the fierce repression they are subjected to by the Armed Forces and Carabineros.
On October 18th of this year, Chile awoke. Massive mobilizations and protests began to spread throughout the country with a common slogan: the people had risen up against abuse. Until that moment, Chile appeared to be the star pupil of neoliberalism in Latin America, but the social movement showed, through its diverse and powerful demonstrations, that Chile's supposed stability was a farce. On the contrary, Chile has been built on exploitation, extreme inequality, the impunity of the economic elite, and a severe crisis of representation within political parties, hijacked by economic power and private interests through illegal financing.
Despite the government's attempt to criminalize protest, declare a state of emergency, and deploy the full repressive power of the armed forces and law enforcement—under the logic of an internal war—the mobilization and social demands remain intact to this day. Chileans demand social rights, a reduction in extreme inequality, an end to the culture of abuse and impunity, and a genuinely democratic new constitution that will forever bury Pinochet's nefarious and fraudulent regime.
Six weeks after the start of the social uprising, preliminary reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch conclude, unequivocally, that widespread and serious human rights violations have been committed against thousands of Chileans. Among the most egregious are the indiscriminate and improper use of firearms, unlawful and abusive detentions, mistreatment, sexual abuse, and torture. These practices, based solely on official figures from the Chilean National Institute for Human Rights, have resulted in over 8000 arrests, 241 people with eye injuries, 6 complaints of homicide, 9 complaints of attempted homicide, 88 complaints of sexual violence, and 458 complaints of torture and cruel treatment.
We demand an immediate end to the criminalization of legitimate protest, police repression, and human rights violations. We urge the Chilean state, its government, and the political class in general to initiate a broad and inclusive dialogue with social actors to build a more just, equitable, and compassionate country. Finally, we stand in solidarity with the people of Chile and celebrate their dignity in rising up against oppression.
December 2019
CLACSO Working Group
Legal critique and sociopolitical conflicts
