|
MAPUCHE INTERNATIONAL LINK Tel/Fax: + 44-117-9279391 |
Señora Michelle Bachellet
President of the Republic of Chile
La Moneda Palace
Santiago of Chile
28 April 2006
Your Excellency,
On behalf of Mapuche International Link, a support organisation to the Mapuche people based in England and other countries of the European Union, we are writing to you to express our deep concern over the situation affecting the Mapuche political prisoners, particularly the health of Patricia Troncoso, Jaime Marileo, Juan Huenulao and Patricio Marileo, who have been on hunger strike since 13 March.
The Mapuche political prisoners mentioned above claim that they are innocent, and victims of an unjust judicial process, which they ask to be reviewed. Here we are referring to the biased proceedings in which the accused were judged, the lack of procedural guarantees that this implies, the sentence imposed on them on the basis of unlawful evidence and - most seriously - the use of repressive laws implemented under the dictatorial régime of Pinochet.
Considering that you yourself were also a victim of this dictatorial régime, we are angered and disappointed by the lack of consistency with your democratic principles, principles for which you struggled so hard to realise not so long ago.
Additionally, the lack of constructive initiatives on the part of your Government to resolve the judicial problems inherited from the previous administration is of great concern.
As you are aware, the judicial proceedings against the Mapuche leaders have been, and continue to be, seriously criticised by national and international organisations with experience in this field; yet your Government prefers to ignore these observations.
Today in the Chilean democracy there are Mapuche seeking political asylum, fugitives from justice whilst others have renounced their Chilean nationality. This is owing to the fact that the Chilean judicial system does not guarantee them a fair trial and as a consequence today 4 Mapuche leaders are on a hunger strike that has already lasted 47 days.
We believe that Chilean democracy is fundamentally flawed and is subject to serious shortcomings; indeed we doubt the very existence of democracy in the State of Chile in its relations with the Mapuche people.
We therefore demand that the sentences under which the Mapuche political prisoners are imprisoned be lawfully and fairly reviewed by an impartial court and based on the internationally recognised general principle of the presumption of innocence.
In the hope that our concerns are considered.
Yours sincerely,
Reynaldo Mariqueo
Secretary General
Andrea Rubio
Adviser on Legal Matters
Copy to:
human rights organisations,
organisations of the Mapuche nation,
media.
