Jun 02, 2015

Round Table Discussion with Jaime Huenchullan about the Mapuche in Chile


 

On 28 May 2015, a round table discussion with former political prisoner Jaime Huenchullan took place in The Hague, the Netherlands. Mr. Huenchullan is currently visiting several European countries to promote the rights of his Mapuche community in Chile. During the event, the current situation of the Mapuche and issues the community is facing were discussed.

 

On 28 May 2015, UNPO had the honor to welcome Jaime Huenchullan in The Hague. In the morning, Mr. Huenchullan visited the Peace Palace, which is a very important place for the Mapuche, partly due to the reviewing of the maritime claims submitted by the State of Bolivia against the State of Chile (Bolivia v. Chile) earlier this month. The Mapuche signed treaties with the Chilean State in the past and ask that these Treaties should be respected as well.

 

 

On the same day, the round table conference took place in the afternoon. The video ‘’Mapuche Childhood – A Cruel Reality ‘’ opened the event, followed by an opening speech of UNPO representative Jeroen Zandberg, in which the history of cooperation between UNPO and the Mapuche were discussed. Mr. Zandberg talked about the many projects in both Europe and Chile that UNPO has worked on together with the Mapuche, such as the UNPO Summer School in Chile.

Afterwards, Jaime Huenchullan gave a speech, in which he shared his struggles and that of the Mapuche community. The purpose of his European tour is to promote the cause of the Mapuche struggles and to look for partners that understand the situation and are able to help in the fight for the rights of the Mapuche.

The speeches were followed by a round table discussion about the situation of the Mapuche and the political and cultural activities that are currently being implemented in Chile as well as in various European countries. UNPO has several multi-year cultural, as well as political, projects running in cooperation with the Mapuche communities.

An interview with Mr. Huenchullan was also conducted by UNPO representative Ms. Sibrijns. During the interview, questions about the imprisonment of Mr. Huenchullan and other political Mapuche prisoners were answered, as well as specific questions about the struggles of the Mapuche. A report with the full interview will be published as soon as possible.