UNPO Supports the Petition to appoint a United Nations special Rapporteur on Mapuche Human Rights that was written by Reynaldo Mariqueo special envoy to the European Union. Although democracy has returned to Chile, the Mapuche people remain the subject of human rights violations.

Below you find a copy of the petition:

Petition to the UN to appoint a Special Rapporteur on Mapuche human rights.

The Seventh Period Session of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations will take place from the 3rd to the 28th of March 2008.

Taking into account that during the entire period of the military dictatorship of Pinochet, the Commission on Human Rights (now Human Rights Council) appointed a Special Rapporteur for the purpose of investigating the violation of human rights in Chile.

Noting that since the return of democracy the Mapuche people remain the subjects of human rights violations. Their fundamental freedoms, both individual and collective, are being denied. This situation has been widely documented by national and international human rights organisations and has been commented upon by the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous People, Mr. Rodolfo Stavenhagen.

Considering that the Chilean government uses illegal methods and repressive laws introduced by the former military regime. These include the use of heavy arms by the police and the use of the Anti-Terrorism Law, which is applied rigorously and exclusively to the Mapuche people. Taking into account the universality of the principles of the "International Bill of Rights" of the UN, which states that: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights," we believe it is therefore legitimate to ask the Council of Human Rights to urgently allocate a Special Rapporteur or send a mission to Chile to investigate the allegations of violations of the human rights of the Mapuche people.

The undersigned will formalize this request to the Human Rights Council on behalf of Mapuche communities and organisations during the course of deliberations. We invite communities and Mapuche organisations from the Wallmapu (Mapuche ancestral territory), as well as human rights organisations and social groups in solidarity with the Mapuche cause, to accede to this request. The deadline for receipt of adherents is 9th March 2008. 

Yours sincerely,

Reynaldo Mariqueo