Tension in La Araucanía: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights completed technical visit

Between August 11 and 14, members of the Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights made a technical visit to the La Araucanía region. All, in the midst of the requests that the organization has made to investigate violence against the Mapuche people.

According to what was reported by the agency, the visit included cities such as Temuco, Angol, Nueva Imperial and Victoria, and included meetings with multiple political, social and human rights actors.

The UN Human Rights Representative in South America, Jan Jarab, commented that the visit is part of the permanent dialogue with authorities. “Our Office will continue working to support all stakeholders in the search for solutions, fostering a participatory dialogue and in good faith. International human rights standards offer a roadmap to advance towards that deep and urgent understanding, so necessary for all the people who inhabit the region, “he said.

It was reported that during the visit, which lasted between the 11th and 14th of this month, the experts gathered information “on the situation in the area and continued their monitoring of the hunger strikes that several indigenous Mapuche community members are being deprived of liberty.” .

“The delegation visited the Nueva Imperial hospital, Angol and Temuco prisons, and communicated with several of the strikers, their representatives, as well as the Chilean Gendarmerie authorities,” they reported.

Likewise, the delegates were received by members of the communities, where they met with numerous victims and witnesses. “At the site (“ lof ”), the Office obtained information on forced evictions from municipalities that occurred in early August, with emphasis on complaints of excessive or unnecessary use of force and racial discrimination,” they specified.

In the same vein, they held meetings with the regional high command of the Carabineros and its regional Human Rights section, in order to obtain background information on the procedures and protocols implemented in La Araucanía.

The delegates’ agenda also included meetings with representatives of the Multigremial de la Araucanía grouping of productive sectors, with the mayor, members of the Medical College, among others.

–