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Freedom for Chilean Prisoners

from International Workers Association IWA-AIT

Dear comrades,

Since the uprising by the Chilean people against the price increase of subway tickets, transport services and neoliberal policies of Chilean government, in which more than 11,300 people were arrested, and 2,500 of them are in prison, a lot of them with investigations but no sentence yet, which means they are in pre-trail detention. We assume it has been done with the purpose of repressing and making these protests illegal.

Prisoners who are in Chilean jails since October 18th 2019, are deprived of liberty due to being accused of breaking a subway barrier (which are at the entrance of the subway), also because of Carabineros (Chilean police) accusations, such as setting on fire, police aggressions, looting, barricades, burning down churches and bank offices, etc.

Many of these accusations have been breaking down due to lack of evidences or because they have been able to prove them false. Therefore, society in general sees these prosecutions as revenge from the State against the uprising of people in retaliation for the ruling elite.

Since the very first days of December, there has been the creation of a campaign, a call for prisoners’ freedom, the ones who were detained at the riots. It has put pressure on congressmen, ministers and the government in itself in order to remove detention prior to conviction, so these people can serve home detention during the investigation period, since is what they have already done with Carabineros accused of human rights violations, either because of serious injuries against protestors, including tortures and/or homicides, and just a small number of them remain at pre-trial detention at police headquarters.

We make a call to all anarchists on the planet to join this campaign, sending letters to the Chilean government through their embassies and consulates, demanding immediate release of the protestors of Chilean uprising. We would also like to ask to whom has the possibility of making demonstrations, to make them in front of Chilean embassies, consulates and Chilean companies.

SOLIDARITY IS THE ONE AND ONLY WEAPON TO WORKERS AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE AGAINST STATE AND CAPITALISM

Germinal Anarchist Group (IWA Friends)
Anarchist Assembly of Bio Bio