From the 13 of March, the mapuches Juan Huenulao, Patricio Marileo, Jaime Marileo and the student Patricia Troncoso are in hunger strike in the jail of Angol. they demand the reviews of their case and their charges that condemns them to 10 years of jail, for a fire in 2002, that burn 100 hectares of Poluco Pidenco forest "owned" by the corporation Forestal Mininco.
For 44 days they have been without eating, and resisting the state's they only take water, their health condition is rapidly deteriorating. Patricia is the most affected from all (this is her 3rd hunger strike). In spite of their health situation, the 4 of them are being firm on their decision and have resisted the authorities pretensions of giving them serum against their will.
During the judgment, many irregularities took place: the Public Ministry, the State and the forest companies acted on common agreement to give the accused a fair. The 4 Mapuche have been sentenced under the Antiterrorist Law inherited from the neoliberal executor pinochet. The fascist Antiterrorist Law has grave implications to those put under it's weight It automatically doubles the period of time the accused will spend in jail. In concordance with this antiterrorist law, no face witnesses have been used, whom would have been acting under the company orders. As has been the case in the past. One judge ( Juez de Garantia ), reviewing the case, who rejected the terrorist character of the 'crime', was suspiciously disqualified by the Supreme Court of Justice..
The new ( labour, neoliberal 'leftist' ) government of Michelle Bachelet, was committed not to criminalize the mapuches demands, since his predecessors have done it, and to recognize the indigenous demands in the constitution, nevertheless the Interior Ministry was part of the mentioned judgment and continues applying the Antiterrorist Law that should be abolish.
The imprisonment of the mapuche is unjust, and the decision of a RACIST and DESTRUCTIVE government, who with the backing and support of international finance institutions, such as the world bank and governments like the UK and the European Union, defends the interests of the big forestry companies who are massacring the skin and the trees of the MAPU ( Earth ) and imprisoners those that decide to defend them.
Chilean newspapers hadn't said anything about the mapuches political prisoners, they are completly hiding the issue so that the population cannot support the mapuche cause. But it is time to break the silence and the indifference and START by demanding the cancellation of the Poluco Podenco Judgment and the immediate liberation of the mapuche political prisoners of Angol. Alternative media and formal informal networks play an important part in counteracting this.
International silence, from corporate controlled media, leftist bureucrats, human rights NGO's, activists, consumers, etc who pay lips service to the state of things in the world - if that - in particular in a state economy such as the uk, with such a cosy relationship with the dictatorship of chile, and the world and with such a dependency on the explotation of natural resources in the 'south' ONLY REINFORCES THE CONTINUING DESTRUCTION OF OUR STRUGGLING EARTH, ITS GUARDIANS and the spirituality and resistance they/we/you are engaged in. we can look the other way or we can do something now, whatever it might be according to our posibilities.
Wednsday 3RD OF MAY AT 2 PM will be the London-wide day of solidarity with the mapuche political prisoners, a call to the spirit of any active groups, women and men of london to do whatever you can/should and to gather at the Chilean embassy in solidarity with "lamién" (imprisoned brothers and sisters) to repudiate what is taking place in Chile against the "people of the Earth " that fight not only to preserve their culture but to preserve the life of the Mapu (Earth) that is in danger of desappearing thanks to the devastating system that governs the world and that we hold.
MEET 12 Devonshire Street, London. W1G 7DS at 2 pm .
some of chiles biggest export industries are wine, wood, fruit and neoliberal dictatorship models of left centre and right neo colonisation. and here are some numbers and contacts for you to follow on if you so decide.
contact the embassy, the new left president of chile, the chilean bussiness arm of the chilean mission in london, prochile and D.I.Y . . .
chilean embassy, london.
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Mariano Fernández
Ambassador
mailto: embachile@embachile.co.uk
Tel:44 (0)20 7580 6392 - Fax: 44 (0)20 7436 5204
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"The struggle against all forms of oppression and discrimination is one of the newest flags rised by the new chilean president. They are plans that must inspire the left in latin america. Because being from the left is also an ethical attitude. Because the ethics of inclusion, respect and tolerance are indispensable for that other world possible with which we dream and which we work towards." - Michelle Bachellet -
Michelle Bachellet, president of chile.
Casa de la Moneda ( Currency House )
Santiago de Chile - other world
Fax: 00 56 2 690 41 38
write 'to' her online https://www.presidencia.cl/view/viewRegistraUsuario.asp?optxPapel=1&seccion=Escribele
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Isauro Torres. Minister.
Asuntos de Seguridad Internacional y Economía. international security economic affaires
mailto: itorres@embachile.co.uk
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Fernando Labra.
first secretary
foreign affairs , european union and bileteral economy affairs.
mailto: flabra@embachile.co.uk
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ProChile - Embassy of Chile.
Tel +44 (0)20 7637 1270
Fax. +44 (0)20 7436 5204
mailto: info@prochile.co.uk
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British Chilean Chamber of Commerce
General Manager: Merilyn K. Potter
Address: 12 Devonshire Street, London W1G 7DS, U.K.
Telephone: 00-44-020-73233053
Fax: 00-44-020-75805901
E mail: britchilchamber@compuserve.com
www.bccc.org.uk
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a list of chilean companies in the uk can be found in the chilean embassy's website. curiously MININCO's parent company CMPC is top of the list ( paper and cardboard manufacturing company ltd )
http://www.echileuk.demon.co.uk/chcomp_in.htm
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Thank you for reading.
Zapatista Action Project.
for more info or to get involved, email mailto: zap06@riseup.net
and contact : mailto: mil@mapuche-nation.org