MAPUCHE RIGHTS SUPPORTER EMILIO BERKHOFF STARTS HUNGER STRIKE AND ISSUES STATEMENT, CHILE

I, Emilio Berkhoff Jerez, a political prisoner within the framework of the Mapuche struggle, confined in prison in Angol, point out to public opinion that:

1) That the Chilean Gendarmerie has systematically denied my condition as a political prisoner, keeping me away from the Mapuche political prisoners and with a different visiting rights regime as to time and place (in the gymnasium of the prison). To which are added restrictions of movement, communication and entry to Mapuche Political Prisoners module.

2) That according to reports by the Gendarmerie of Angol, these measures are due to an order issued by the National Gendarmerie, whose argument is that I would be prosecuted for ordinary crimes only, and not for political crimes, contradicting the virulent media campaign of persecution against me by the government through the Ministry of Interior. 

3) That for the above I have taken the decision to initiate, starting today, an indefinite hunger strike to enforce the following demands:

- Recognition of my status as a political prisoner
- Incorporation into the Mapuche political prisoners module, in a progressive manner, owing to the current overcrowded conditions.
- The same visiting rights regime of the Mapuche political prisoners module, as to place and time.
- Authorization to participate in sports and cultural activities of the Mapuche political prisoners module. 

 BECAUSE THE PRISON IS ALSO A TRENCH FOR FIGHTING
FREEDOM TO ALL MAPUCHE POLITICAL PRISONERS!

Public Statement No. 3 By Fernando Millacheo Marín, Mapuche Political Prisoner, Chile

To my Mapuche brothers, the Human Rights Organizations, the medical world in general and to the public opinion I inform the following:

Today, February 16, I am faced with my transfer from the prison of Angol, ninth region, TEMUCO, to the prison El Manzano, eighth region, CONCEPCIÓN, where I continue with my hunger strike of now 55 days.

Yesterday, February 15, 2013, around 23:00 hours, they attempted to make me undergo a medical check in the infirmary of the prison where I am currently being held.  

I denounce the conduct of the doctor, director of the prison El Manzano, Mr. Roberto Baos Somarriba, for acts of racism against me and for verbally assaulting me for being Mapuche. (His exact words: Shit Indian, why do they bring them here to me, let yourself be checked, they have me bored, why do they bring me more of these f*cking Indians? Terrorists!)

There is also an inmate, who is together with me, who witnessed these acts and who, for trying to defend me against the racist abuse, was assaulted by trampling his feet, leaving him with a wound.

And also they proceeded by bringing in a Rottweiler dog to intimidate me and to force me to consent to the medical check to which I posed resistance for said attitude. 

Therefore, to the public opinion, the Medical College, human rights organizations: I will not be attended by the physician of this prison while the treatment is not changed. Therefore ask another doctor to take charge of the medical checks and my state of health, which due to my 55-day hunger strike sees me at a weight of 45,600 kg.

I  also inform you that I will go on until the last consequences if necessary to prove my innocence, for the freedom of all Mapuche political prisoners and the freedom of the Mapuche nation.

Weight at the start of the strike                       60       kg  (12/24/2012)
Current weight at 56 days of hunger strike     45,600 kg (02/16/2013)

1. - I am completely innocent of the charges against me.
2. - I demand a fair trial and due process, and also that they expedite the procedures and allow me the right to defense.
3. - I request a change of my precautionary measures.
4. - I join the just demand for the freedom of all Mapuche political prisoners.
5. - I request a change of physician in charge of my medical checkups for the Fast I maintain from December 24, 2012.

Lof Chequenco, Fernando Millacheo Marín, Mapuche Political Prisoner. 

Freedom for all Mapuche Political Prisoners
AMULEPE TAIÑ WEICHAN
MARRICHIWEW
WEWAIÑ

 
(Family Millacheo Marin)
Prison El Manzano (infirmary), February 16, 2013



 

STATEMENT TRANSFER MAPUCHE HUNGER STRIKER FERNANDO MILLACHEO TO CONCEPCIÓN, CHILE

PUBLIC STATEMENT

To the national and international public opinion, social and popular Chilean organizations and our Mapuche nation, we inform the following:

1. - That today, February 15, our peñi in political prison, Fernando Millacheo, was arbitrarily transferred to the prison El Manzano in Concepción. 

2. - That this new act of repression ordered by the gendarmes, in complicity with anti-Mapuche prosecutors and the court of Collipulli, only tries break his will to fight for his rights and dignities as Mapuche. 

3. - The argument given for the move is the deteriorating health of our peñi as a result of the hunger strike which already takes 54 days and in which he has lost 10 kilos. If that was the real reason he should have been taken to a local hospital and not to a distant prison more than 300 kilometers from his community. 

4.-The repressive State seeks with his transfer to isolate him from his relatives, community and also to prevent contact with his defense, to in this way continue with impunity with their setups and lies.

5. - We call for solidarity with our peñi Fernando Millacheo, now we must go beyond words, because Fernando has put his life at risk for the defense of basic rights, today being trampled, of all worthy Mapuche fighting for the recovery of our territory and for the reconstruction of our Nation. 

 End the militarization of communities and return the Mapuche lands!
Freedom to the Mapuche political prisoners held by the Chilean state! 

Community Newen Mapu, Lof Chequenco

The arrest of the werkén Jaime Huenchullan is declared Illegal by the Court of Collipulli, Chile

Source: http://adkimvn.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/declaran-ilegal-la-detencion-del-werken-jaime-huenchullan/
By Communications Team Autonomous Community Temucuicui and Adkimvn
February 14, 2013 by adkimvn

The Court of Guarantee of Collipulli decreed unlawful the arrest on Tuesday of the werkén of the Autonomous Community Temucuicui, Jaime Huenchullan Cayul conducted by Special Police Forces, on his way to the town of Ercilla.

During the detention control hearing on Wednesday, the werkén told the judge of Guarantee how he was arrested, noting that while he was driving to the town of Ercilla aboard a vehicle and accompanied by the French sociologist Michael Barbut, the police who were stationed on the public road at the height of the community Ancapi Nancucheo, blocked their path to make a control.

After completely overhauling the vehicle they began to verbally assault the werkén, who responded with criticism of the police and their massive and invasive presence in Mapuche territory. This prompted the militarized police to call reinforcements transforming a traffic control into an identity check.  

According to the werkén told, at the time of arrest there were six police vehicles and about fifteen policemen, who handcuffed him and delivered blows to the ribs, while shouting offensive phrases like "take that f*cking Mapuche" or "We are in Chile c*nt of your mother". Finally, the werkén was taken to the police station of Collipulli, where they continued giving him physical and verbal abuse, both in transit and during his stay in the police station. 

Faced with the decision of the Court, the werkén said "it is clearly demonstrated that policemen are acting out of control, arrogant and out of the legal framework," adding that this is evidenced by the decision of the Guarantee Judge Claudio Campos, of declaring illegal the detention.

The werkén Jaime Huenchullan has been harassed and arrested several times in recent months by police special forces who travel the roads within the militarized territory of the Mapuche communities of Ercilla. 

Werken of Temucuicui was arrested for demanding to be respected by the militarized police, Chile

Source: http://comunidadtemucuicui.blogspot.nl/2013/02/la-comunidad-autonoma-de-temucuicui.html
February 12, 2013

The autonomous community of Temucuicui declares to the public opinion that:

On Tuesday February 12, 2013, at the exit of the community Ancapi Nancucheo, on a public road, was once again arrested the werkén of our community, Jaime Huenchullan Cayul.

Two police vehicles who were controlling traffic at the exit of the community, decided to control the vehicle in which was our werkén. Jaime was headed for Ercilla, he was without identity card and that's what led to his arrest.

At first, the conversation with the police officer in charge of the control took place on good terms, but police reinforcements arrived quickly, and our werkén found himself surrounded by six police vehicles.

Our peñi tried to explain to the militarized police that they had to adjust their behavior to the cultural reality of the place and that they could not proceed in Mapuche territory in the same way as in any part of Chile. Given these sayings, the militarized police rose the tone and became more aggressive, saying the community is in Chilean territory and Chilean laws govern here and the militarized police rule.

After this exchange they decided to arrest our brother, and a dozen police put him to the ground, handcuffed him and gave him some blows to the body.

the militarized police rule.

After this exchange they decided to arrest our brother, and a dozen police put him to the ground, handcuffed him and gave him some blows to the body.

At the moment of putting him into the police van, a policeman shouted "here we are in Chile cunt of your mother."

He was subsequently transferred to the police station of Ercilla, before being transferred to Collipulli to implement the control on the arrest. The formalization will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) in Collipulli court, implying that our werkén will spend one night detained solely because of not having with him an ID card on a public road located a few kilometers from his community.

He is currently held in a police cell in Collipulli and battered as a result of being beaten unfairly by the racist police. Therefore, an independent doctor of the police force shall check on him within the next few hours.

In Collipulli, he found about 25 brothers detained as a result of a public demonstration held in support of a community member of Chequenco, Fernando Millacheo who is currently on hunger strike and facing trial in the court of Collipulli.

It should be recalled that in the past two months, Jaime Huenchullan has been controlled 4 times and arrested twice, which makes it clear that the police seeks to persecute our Werkén and to silence our demand for the return of our Mapuche territory.    

Wallmapuche Temucuicui

Autonomous Community Temucuicui 

Public Statement - Mapuche Political Prisoners, Valdivia, Chile

 

Source: http://weichanpilmaiquen.blogspot.nl/2013/02/comunicado-publico-ppm-valdivia.html

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

To the Mapuche Nation and the national Chilean and the international public opinion, the Mapuche Political Prisoners held in Valdivia Prison declare:

1. - We are Mapuche, social fighters for our Political, Territorial and Spiritual rights, we oppose the invasion of capitalist enterprises that threaten to destroy and take away our land. Consistent with this, we denounce the persecution of which our lamngen Machi Millaray Huichalaf is a victim, who is Public spokeswoman for the Pilmaiken conflict. Because of them in the early morning of January 30 her home was raided, being arrested all who at that time we were in her ruka, including Machi Tito Cañulef of the Kunko territory. 

2. - We affirm that our imprisonment reflects a political offensive of the state together with landowners and Transnational Corporations to safeguard interests of hydropower projects in the Rio Pilmaiken, plants that flood the ceremonial complex Ngen Mapu Kintuante, sacred space vital to our existence as Mapuche in that territory.

3. - We denounce the new strategy of extermination adopted by the state that so far this year has prosecuted five Machi. The wingka knows that Pu Machi preserved and practice our culture for centuries, that is why they obey the Az Mapu and understand the need to fight for territory. Therefore they are an essential part of rebuilding our traditional organization and fundamental pillar of the Mapuche Nation. The persecution of Pu Machi is consistent with the needs of capitalist predator designs, which requires our extermination as a People.

4. - We call to continue the path ordained by the Pu Lonko and followed by our Machi and weichafe, we oppose the capitalist invasion, recover the usurped territory and return to the communities. That our leaders lead a more consistent real struggle for our historical claims as a nation, our struggle must come and be sustained from the communities.

Mapuche Williche Political Prisoners of Pilmaiken
Valdivia Prison.   

PHOTOS & VIDEO - Arrest and release of Mapuche community members, including many minors, attending Hearing of Mapuche Political Prisoner on hunger strike, Chile

Text and most photos by Rossana Villavicencio Derio 

Over 20 detainees resulted from incidents at Collipulli Court

After 11:00 am on Tuesday, in the Court of Collipulli, began the audience that should revise the precautionary measures for Fernando Millacheo, community member from Chekenko already 51 days on hunger strike ...

These pictures were taken on 12/02/2013, at the Court and during the transfer from the Hospital of Angol, to the 1st precinct of this city, where the community members, men, women and children, stayed until their formalization the next day. Only the minor of 12 years was released and handed over to his father. The Police Commander of Angol, authorized me to go in and take pictures in the micro that made the transfer, in spite of this a policeman tried to refuse, during the course of this, for me to stay on, trying to overrule the order of his superior, and trying to discredit my credentials and work as a Human Rights Observer, which I denounced immediately.

It was difficult to enter the courtroom the next morning, as the Magistrate, Mr. Claudio Campos, initially refused to authorize access. After claiming the right to be present as an Observer, I was finally cleared and I could record the following pictures: