The Invisibles against US missile defense
Mistreatment of Mapuche indian childrens
24.12.2008
Letter to the President of Chile.
Sra Michelle BACHELET
President of the Republic of Chile
La Moneda Palace
Santiago
CHILE
Your Excellency,
We are writing to you very concerned by the news that we have received about the situation that the Mapuche communities are living in on an almost daily basis in the VIIIth and IXth regions, especially the community of Temucuicui.
On the morning of the 4th of December, this community, once again, was raided by more than 50 military personnel with their customary violence, leaving behind several wounded people.
It seems very serious that members of the Mapuche communities are being violently mistreated in their own homes, including the old, women and children. Among them, once again, a child of 13 years of age, Patricio Queipul Millanao, who was arrested and transferred to a police station where he was held for 2 days and one night.
He was released on Saturday night without his family being informing of his liberation.
This violation of the rights of Patricio Queipul Millanao was the reason for a lawyer from the Observatory of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Hernando Silva, presenting an appeal for legal protection to the Court of Appeal in Temuco, basing his appeal on Resolution 4425 of the 20th November 1989 of the Convention of the UN Rights of the Children:
“For the purposes of this Convention, a child is understood as a human being below the age of eighteen ,… “States will take care that: a) No child is subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment . (…); b) No child is illegally or arbitrarily deprived of their liberty … ».
On the 30th of October 2007, in another case of political violence during a raid on the same community, this child was wounded by seven bullets obliging his family to transfer him to Posta de Ercilla
An event that motivated the presentation of the first protection appeal for Patricio Queipal Millanao, by the lawyer from the Observatory of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Karina Riquelme Viveros.
We could continue to detail the violations of children’s rights in Wallmapu, like Daniela Nancupil, minor, shot in the back with anti-riot munitions and Alex Lemun who was killed by a bullet to the head in November 2002, by a policeman who was never tried or punished
Mrs President, this situation of violence against the Mapuche people cannot continue.
The signatory organisations consider that the visit in November by the Secretary General of Amnesty International, Mrs Irene Khan, and the recommendations that she has proposed to the Chilean Government demonstrate the urgency of a real change in Chilean policy towards indigenous peoples.
We know that political will is necessary for this change. We hope that, before the end of your mandate, this political will is going to be manifested.
With our full respect, please receive our sincere greetings.
A few of the signatories:
Giorgio Schultze, Italy, Spokesperson for New Humanism in Europe
Tomas Hirsch, Chile, Spokesperson for Humanism in Latin America
Daniel Horowitz, Zürich, Humanist Party of Switzerland
Claudie Baudoin, Paris, Editions Références
Peter Noordendorp, Amsterdam, Humanist Party, the Netherlands
Lory Tasma, Amsterdam, The Community for Human Development, the Netherlands
Pau Segado, Madrid, Humanist Party of Spain
Sara Tajuelo, Spokesperson for the Centre of Cultures Federation, Spain
Bernardo Samaniego Gomez, Humanist Party of Seville, Organisation Secretary
Jean Montané, Paris, Humanist Party of FranceParti Humaniste
http://www.giorgioschultze.eu/index.php?lang=ita&secc=news&acc=id&idnoti=88&fontsize=1
Sra Michelle BACHELET
President of the Republic of Chile
La Moneda Palace
Santiago
CHILE
Your Excellency,
We are writing to you very concerned by the news that we have received about the situation that the Mapuche communities are living in on an almost daily basis in the VIIIth and IXth regions, especially the community of Temucuicui.
On the morning of the 4th of December, this community, once again, was raided by more than 50 military personnel with their customary violence, leaving behind several wounded people.
It seems very serious that members of the Mapuche communities are being violently mistreated in their own homes, including the old, women and children. Among them, once again, a child of 13 years of age, Patricio Queipul Millanao, who was arrested and transferred to a police station where he was held for 2 days and one night.
He was released on Saturday night without his family being informing of his liberation.
This violation of the rights of Patricio Queipul Millanao was the reason for a lawyer from the Observatory of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Hernando Silva, presenting an appeal for legal protection to the Court of Appeal in Temuco, basing his appeal on Resolution 4425 of the 20th November 1989 of the Convention of the UN Rights of the Children:
“For the purposes of this Convention, a child is understood as a human being below the age of eighteen ,… “States will take care that: a) No child is subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment . (…); b) No child is illegally or arbitrarily deprived of their liberty … ».
On the 30th of October 2007, in another case of political violence during a raid on the same community, this child was wounded by seven bullets obliging his family to transfer him to Posta de Ercilla
An event that motivated the presentation of the first protection appeal for Patricio Queipal Millanao, by the lawyer from the Observatory of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Karina Riquelme Viveros.
We could continue to detail the violations of children’s rights in Wallmapu, like Daniela Nancupil, minor, shot in the back with anti-riot munitions and Alex Lemun who was killed by a bullet to the head in November 2002, by a policeman who was never tried or punished
Mrs President, this situation of violence against the Mapuche people cannot continue.
The signatory organisations consider that the visit in November by the Secretary General of Amnesty International, Mrs Irene Khan, and the recommendations that she has proposed to the Chilean Government demonstrate the urgency of a real change in Chilean policy towards indigenous peoples.
We know that political will is necessary for this change. We hope that, before the end of your mandate, this political will is going to be manifested.
With our full respect, please receive our sincere greetings.
A few of the signatories:
Giorgio Schultze, Italy, Spokesperson for New Humanism in Europe
Tomas Hirsch, Chile, Spokesperson for Humanism in Latin America
Daniel Horowitz, Zürich, Humanist Party of Switzerland
Claudie Baudoin, Paris, Editions Références
Peter Noordendorp, Amsterdam, Humanist Party, the Netherlands
Lory Tasma, Amsterdam, The Community for Human Development, the Netherlands
Pau Segado, Madrid, Humanist Party of Spain
Sara Tajuelo, Spokesperson for the Centre of Cultures Federation, Spain
Bernardo Samaniego Gomez, Humanist Party of Seville, Organisation Secretary
Jean Montané, Paris, Humanist Party of FranceParti Humaniste
http://www.giorgioschultze.eu/index.php?lang=ita&secc=news&acc=id&idnoti=88&fontsize=1
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