Switzerland admits asylum claim of daughter of lonko Juana Calfunao, held political prisoner in Temuco
Meanwhile, Chilean Government denies existence of political prisoners in Chile
Raúl Martínez – OPAL – 15/02/2009
The government of Switzerland has admitted the request for asylum of the minor Relmutray Cadín, 11, daughter of the lonko (Mapuche chief) Juana Calfunao, who is being held prisoner in Temuco prison accused of an offence against the authorities.
Together with her aunt, Flor Calfunao, the youngster made the journey last October to present her request to the authorities, who corroborated this information.
The justification the two presented for their request was the political persecution to which they are subjected, since several of their relatives have been prosecuted and detained, among them the lonko Calfunao, the girl’s father and her brother Waikilaf Cadín.
Juana Calfunao, chief of the community Juan Paillalef, in the administrative region of la Araucanía, has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for an act of aggression against the then director of the National Corporation for Indigenous Development (CONADI), Rodrigo González. Her husband is also being held in Temuco prison on the same charge.
The lonko’s sons, Jorge and Waikilaf Cadín, are also being held accused of disturbances, although during the course of their detainment they have spoken out against a series of abuses.
Meanwhile, the lonko’s sister, Luisa Calfunao, is also in prison for disturbances and damages against authority.
Relmutray Cadín will have to wait for a period of at least three months before learning of the decision of the Swiss authorities regarding her request for asylum, a case which the Chilean embassy in the European nation say is without precedent.
As a result, advocate for the Observatory for Indigenous Conflicts Rodolfo Valdivia, predicts that Switzerland will possess sufficient information to grant asylum status to the young Relmutray and her aunt Flor Calfunao.
“It boils down to a question of violation of rights, and that will be able to be confirmed by the Swiss government, with the accompanying prior reports. We acknowledge that it’s not a policy of the state of Chile, but these systems are operating as if it were,” he said.
For the director of the Mapuche organisation Meli Wixan Mapu, Manuel Díaz Calfiú, “in the state of Chile there are no guarantees for the Mapuche. The rule of law only covers the powerful, the rich, the landowners and forestry companies. Consequently we see today our Mapuche brothers and sisters held as political prisoners, and this situation is not acknowledged by Chile. For us, they are Mapuche social activists who have fought to claim rights, and the State has incarcerated them like common criminals.” He claims that for this reason the option of asylum is legitimate.
Díaz Calfiú added that the request for asylum of Relmutray Cadín follows a similar claim made two years ago in Argentina by the son of the lonko Pascual Pichún, which is also currently awaiting a decision by the Argentine authorities.
Spokesperson questions need for asylum
Chilean Government denies existence of political prisoners in Chile
Spokesperson(s) claimed that in Chile “there are no political prisoners, nor are there violations of human rights”, in response to the asylum request of the minor, daughter of the imprisoned Mapuche leader. They announced that the government would express this position to Switzerland.
Appointed spokesperson Neftalí Carabantes described the asylum request to the European nation as “inadmissible”, given the discredited nature of the claims of political persecution in this case.
Carabantes emphatically asserted that in Chile “there exists the rule of law, public freedoms are respected, there are no political prisoners and human rights are not violated.”
In this context, the authorities announced that the government “will communicate their opinion to the Swiss government through the appropriate diplomatic channels.”
The spokesperson(s) thus aligned themselves with the protestations expressed by the governor of the administrative region of la Araucanía, Nora Barrientos, who yesterday dismissed the Mapuche asylum claim, saying that “[Chile] is not subject to the sorts of conditions where any of its citizens need apply for asylum outside of our nation.”
Support from international organisations
The Executive Director of Amnesty International Chile, Sergio Laurenti, declared that the family of Relmutray Cadín Calfunao have a legitimate right to claim political asylum in Switzerland for the 11-year-old girl.
Laurenti pointed out that any citizen is free to make such a claim to any country in the world, if they consider their life to be at risk or if the possibilities of living it to the full are limited.
In this regard, the director of the humanitarian organisation added that the family’s motivation in taking this decision was the persecution and harassment to which they have been subject over a long period of time, a situation which was already known to the human rights organisation.
“The story of the Calfunao family has been ongoing for a long time, it is evident. Amnesty International has been following it since at least 2002, specifically regarding the harassment and persecution by the authorities towards the person of Juana Calfunao, of the Community of Juan Paillalef, and mother of the minor,” said Laurenti.
Although he explained that he was not clear on the precise details of the claim made by Relmutray for asylum, he understood that the family had considered that the best option for the girl was to leave the country, given the judicial problems confronting her relatives.
______________________
Translated by: Alex Sharp
Mapuche International Link