The rights of the Mapuche people in Chile

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
25th session
March 2014

[Excerpt from the declaration]

The root of the problem lies in the failure of Chilean state institutions to take account of the expectations of the Mapuche people, whose priority is to claim territorial rights, including the right to water and natural resources, on the basis of ancestral law. The fact that the Chilean state is failing in its role as guarantor of indigenous rights is only fueling the conflict.

Indeed, the public policies implemented by successive governments in relation to indigenous peoples are deficient or inadequate. The Chilean parliament has still not passed any laws guaranteeing the rights of indigenous peoples, such as the law establishing the Indigenous Peoples’ Council and the constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples. The arbitrary application of the directives concerning the anti-terrorist law by the Chilean judiciary undermines the security of the law and the guarantee of a fair procedure and trial. The police apparatus uses violent methods and seeks to militarize the Araucanía region.

Read the CETIM’s oral declaration in French

Watch the video subtitled in English