| May 16, 2014 Mapuche living in Germany and the Netherlands start a hunger strike Translation in English: http://www.unpo.org |
Mapuche People living in Germany and the Netherlands have started a hunger strike in support of Mapuche political prisoners in Chile. Through this public statement from Europe, we announce the decision to join the hunger strike that Luis Humberto Marileo, Cristian Pablo Levinao Melinao, Leonardo Quijon Pereira, Cristian Curinao Catrileo and the Machi Celestino Córdova are leading from the Angol and Temuco jails, Chile, all of them being Mapuche political prisoners. With this hunger strike we want to express our solidarity with Mapuche political prisoners in Chile and denounce the actions of the Chilean authorities, so that the State anti-terrorism law be finally abrogated. This law is still enforced and serves as a tool of political repression against Mapuche communities. Consequently, we support the following demands: - The immediate transfer of the political prisoners to the Centro de Educación y Trabajo (CET) in Angol, noting that this request was granted and signed in at least three previous strikes but has still not been implemented - Humanitarian pardon for the lamngen José Mariano Laanca Tori, who suffers from a terminal illness that has severely compromised his liver, triggering a hepatic cirrhosis. The pardon has already been requested and refused during the SebastiánPiñera government, and we hope for speedy precisions about this request from the current authorities. - The immediate transfer of the Machi from the Temuco jail to the Penal Colony of Vilcún. According to the rights enshrined in Convention 169, recognized by Chile at the international level, he should be able to perform his spiritual and cultural role, as well as his permanent relation with everything that nature means within our territory because of his Machi status. - The revision of sentences of the five accused, in light of the distrust caused by the legitimacy of the anti-terrorism law, in particular the use of witnesses protected by the State and who enjoy certain privileges, including providing testimonies the validity of which cannot be ascertained. The political violence facing the Mapuche community, following constant political persecution under the form of raids, physical and psychological violence against families, women and children, is an untenable situation that goes against the fundamental rights of every human being. It is widely known that one of the concrete effects of this law is the constant criminalization of the various demands the Mapuche are advocating for, which is exemplified by the situation currently facing the 5 political prisoners on hunger strike. In light of these elements, we ask the authorities of the Republic of Chile, President Michelle Bachelet, her cabinet, as well as all members of the lower and upper houses of the National Congress to demand the immediate abrogation of the anti-terrorism law and the demilitarization of the Mapuche communities, as well as an end to the complete negation, repression and invisibilization of the Mapuche people. In turn, we make the same demands to all the citizens of the Republic of Chile and citizens’ movements in general, and extend this statement to the international community so that they can support these demandsin different ways. We invite the press to spread this statement and to contact us. Contact information: Cologne/Germany: Hunger strike from 12-18 May 2014 Location: Paradies, Eifelwall 5 Cologne, Germany Phone: 0049 152 1852 8496 http://de.mapuches.org/ Amsterdam/Holland: Hunger strike from 16-18 May 2014 Location: Casa Migrante Spaarndammerstraat 9,1013 SR Amsterdam, Holland (Netherlands) Phone: 0031.6.15470172 http://www.mapuche.nl/ Multimedia: https://mapuchenl.wordpress.com/ |