Killing of Indigenous Man in Chile Spurs Criticism of Security Forces, 25 November, 2018

The killing of a young indigenous man by an antiterrorism police squad has intensified longstanding criticism over the treatment of native communities in southern Chile by the government and security forces accused of systemic abuses...The killing of Camilo Catrillanca, 24, on Nov. 14 is the latest flash point in a fight over ancestral lands claimed by the Mapuche, which has led leaders in Chile to treat some indigenous land rights activists as terrorists — by for example, charging and trying them under antiterrorism laws.

...In addition to [a] prosecutor’s investigation, the National Institute for Human Rights has filed a criminal lawsuit, seeking murder, attempted murder and obstruction of justice charges against the Carabineros, as the national police force is called. Over the past seven years, the institute has filed more than 30 complaints over abusive police actions against the Mapuche...The death of Mr. Catrillanca spurred protests in several cities and rural areas,…demanding the resignation of Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick and the dismantling of the Jungle Commando police unit.

...The Mapuche contend that over the past century they have lost a large portion of their ancestral territory,… as the government pursued policies that divided indigenous communities, took control of lands for which the Mapuche did not have formal property titles, and encouraged the sale of such land to farmers, lumber and energy companies, and other private owners...Over the past couple of decades, Mapuche communities have occupied part of those lands, while others have sought to negotiate land transfers with the government...A small number of indigenous groups have resorted to violent actions, like arson attacks on corporate infrastructure, vehicles, private property and churches.