Open letter regarding the serious health condition of the young Mapuche Leonardo Quijó

 Source: Carta publica respecto salud de Leonardo Quijón
Thursday September 20, 2012

To the ANIDE Foundation
To Kindernothilfe Germany
To The Chilean Gendarmerie
To the Mapuche Criminal Defense
To the National Human Rights Institute NHRI  of Chile
To the Ministry of Justice of Chile

Distinguished Representatives of institutions in Chile,

As European organizations for human rights and contributors we are writing to express our deep concern about the grave situation in which we find the young Leonardo Quijón Pereira of the community Chequenco. As you know he was attacked and shot by Chilean police with approximately 200 pellets impacted in his leg which remains to this day, and he has not had adequate treatment despite the existence of the funds for his medical care.
He continues to suffer the effects of the wounds caused by the buckshot, being in a serious state of malnutrition which is devastating his immune system, producing also other diseases that are life threatening. 
We believe that it is urgent to ensure the conditions and facilities in order to strengthen his health in detention and to avoid fatal consequences.

That is why we request you that make the appropriate arrangements so that Leonardo receives the special food necessary for him to get over his undernourishment. To provide the vitamins already envisaged and prescribed by the doctor (Neurobionta) and also facilitate for him to receive injections in prison. Provide the vitamins already envisaged and prescribed by the doctor (Neurobionta) and also facilitate in prison injections for him to receive. Besides facilitating and paying, with the money exclusively destined by Kindernothilfe of Germany for his health and feeding, for the future professional medical care, medicines and treatments that we are negotiating for his health.

Recall that the ANIDE Foundation has a commitment with the European organization Kindernothilfe which consists of $ 4,135,075 Chilean Pesos for 2012 to cover health costs exclusively for Leonardo and in the response letter of September 13, 2012 they have mentioned that of the $ 4,135,075 Chilean Pesos intended for him, there is a balance of $ 3,694,100 Chilean Pesos in the bank account of the foundation. Alongside this we ask for you to also contact as soon as possible with Leonardo Quijón or his sister Cristina to carry out these steps.

We want to express once again that it should not be possible that, having the financial means available, they continue to irresponsibly endanger the life of this young man.

We call on the Chilean Gendarmerie to authorize these efforts, the visits of the doctors, the conducting of examinations and future treatments and anything related to improving his health, when there has been made a thorough evaluation, which to date has not taken place. We call on the NHRI and to the Mapuche Criminal Defense to intervene and act in a timely manner to protect the Human Rights of Leonardo, such as the right to receive the urgent, necessary health care to protect his live.

According to the medical report of late 2010 Leonardo Quijón has a large, deep scar in his left leg with damage to the tibial nerve, altered sensitivity of the sole of the foot, about 200 pellets, spontaneous continued aching, traumatic polyneuropathy in the foot, he requires a continuous supply of medications and evaluation of his disability. Not to forget that Leonardo had a cardiac arrest and was kept with a mechanical lung in the Critical Patient Unit at the Hospital of the Catholic University of Santiago, (October 2009).
To this date there also has not been made available a report from cardiology, traumatology and of a psychological evaluation having spent one year innocently imprisoned, acquitted in two trials and again now in jail awaiting a 3rd trial.

Yours sincerely,

CEDHPA H. EDELSTAM of Gothenburg - Sweden
cedh.edelstam@secretariadoeuropeo.eu
ECOMAPUCHE, Association Friendship with the Mapuche - Italy
ecomapuche@gmail.com
MARICHEWEU, Human Rights Association for the Mapuche people - Germany
elena.urrutia@arcor.de
maricheweu.kulturverein@arcor.de

Attachments:

1 - Request to ANIDE
2 - Letter public denouncement
3 - Letter response ANIDE

 
Scanned copy of the X-ray of Leonardo

 Photo of the leg