UN confirms serious human rights violations in Piñera's Chile

Edited by Ed Newman
2019-12-15 17:16:11

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United Nations, December 15 (RHC)-- The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has presented a report confirming that human rights have been violated in Chile.

"There are good reasons to argue that there have been a high number of serious human rights violations," the OHCHR mentions.  In its report, this international organization describes multiple human rights violations committed by the Military Police (Carabineros) and the Army.

Among these acts of State terrorism are 113 cases of torture and 24 cases of sexual violence against women, men, children, and adolescents.  Also, it is mentioned that at least 2,111 civilians were injured and 350 people experienced serious eye injuries, according to existing records until December 10.

"There was an unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal weapons, particularly riot guns, during peaceful demonstrations and/or outside the context of violent clashes," the report holds.

Such disproportionate use of lethal force "generated a high number of injured people, including bystanders and people who were not committing violent acts."

The UN mission recognized that there are 26 people killed and documented four unlawful deaths involving state agents.  In two of these cases, it was clear that those who died were in police custody.  

In addition, between October 18th and December 6th, at least 28,000 people were arrested, 1,615 of whom remain in pre-trial detention.​​​​​​​  

This human rights report is the result of the work of a United Nations mission that visited Chile at the invitation of the Piñera administration.  "We have found that the overall management of assemblies by the police was carried out in a fundamentally repressive manner," OHCHR mission leader Imma Guerras-Delgado said, adding that her team will continue to receive allegations of violations by police forces.

"We call for the immediate end of the indiscriminate use of anti-riot shotguns to control demonstrations​​."​​



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