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Campaign to protect the human rights of Mapuche political prisoners in Chile Press Release Europe , 3 April 2006 Mapuche organisations have launched a campaign to protect the human rights of Mapuche political prisoners in Chile. A wide range of organisations and people from around the world have responded to the initiative which is being led by European Mapuche organisations, the Mapuche Documentation Centre and Mapuche International Link. These organisations have organised a petition to demonstrate their support for the Mapuche political prisoners' protest, who are demanding a reconsideration of the harsh prison sentences that were issued by the Chilean Court of Justice under anti-terrorist law. The socialist militant Michelle Bachellet Jeria the recently elected President of the Republic of Chile - has received the petition signed by a hundred people from different academic, geographical and political arenas around the world. The letter highlighted their dismay that the Chilean judicial system behaves in a biased, discriminatory and racist manner, given that Law No. 18.314 created by Pinochet and called the Anti-terrorist Law' has only been used in recent decades to judge indigenous political leaders particularly of the Mapuche nation. A copy of the petition was also sent to a range of international human rights and indigenous organisations. The promoters of the campaign are confident of a favourable response from the President considering that she, too, has suffered the consequences of imprisonment and torture for political reasons. For more information: Jorge Calbucura Reynaldo Mariqueo
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