Thursday, February 11, 2010
Defending Autonomy
The Chilean Mapuche have established an autonomous legal defence unit to protect their political prisoners and community activists from police brutality. Working with the United Nations and NGOs like Amnesty International, Mapuche traditional authorities hope to defend themselves from ongoing attack by the Chilean state aimed at destroying Mapuche social and political structures. As the largest aboriginal landowners in Chile and Argentina, Mapuche forests are much sought after by North American corporations working hand in hand with the Chilean government, which has shown an eagerness to use terrorism laws to dehumanize and incarcerate native leaders.
