SITUATION
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Large Scale R/c Tanks
By Enrique Guzman Acevedo, Director of EUROLATINNEWS
VALPARAISO, Chile (EUROLATINNEWS) - A vast international campaign calling for the urgent release of the Chilean documentary filmmaker Elena Varela, arrested a year ago while filming the problematic situation Mapuche people, was opened in Chile with the support of intellectuals and groups in solidarity with Latin America and Europe, mainly France and Belgium.
green light of this campaign emerged in the halls of the University of Valparaiso Arsis, an autumn night this May 2009, shortly after the building itself Elena Varela-hours of freedom that allows your current house arrest before a large audience to explain the details of his arrest on May 7, 2008, after they raided his home in Lake Licanrray (southern Chile) by the civilian police seized more than 300 tapes of the Mapuche.
After being hospitalized for three months in a high security prison charged with "terrorism" and "two terrorist attacks," was transferred to another prison since the beginning of 2009 left the jail to be subjected to a regime of ' house arrest "(from 22H00 to 08H00) in Santiago to await his sentence.
"I am being threatened with a sentence 9 to 15 years in prison for telling the truth, "he said." The strength of the people of the land in the south against logging companies from destroying forests and hydroelectric companies that dry land communities Mapuche took me five years ago to the south to be better informed and better inform them in my documentary on this human drama, "said the documentary to a group of students and academics.
The fact that several Mapuche were arrested in 2007 and accused of being "terrorists" for defending their rights, encouraged her to film the documentary "The strength of the people of the earth", which exposed the "injustice that affects peoples Mapuche, who have suffered a police raid and destruction of their homes and lands. "
"We apply the Law of State Security and the Patriot Act, applied during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-90) - to have recovered 77 000 hectares of forest belonging to the Mapuche people, 'he said in the presence of representatives of Mapuche Indians, who expressed their support for the documentary, stressing "his courage, his great strength, great courage and energy to fight fearlessly against injustice."
"In 2000 there were 30 political prisoners in Chile. Today, in 2009, more than 70 ", he said. He also said the documentary "Newen Mapuche 'includes names of officers and statements on the Mapuche, revealing the character' repressive fascist state", before reporting that has formed "an umbrella organization to support" their cause, which is Mapuche cause, with the participation of university groups and communities national solidarity, Latin America and Europe.
The documentary said she was detained while filming the documentary, which informed him that no crime was charged and subsequently learned of the acusacioens of terrorism and of being linked to two bank robberies committed by extremisrtas left in 2005 in southern Chile.
"I was terrified when they raided my house when I stopped and took my documents, they had about 10 police cars and about 40 men in civilian clothes," he recalls. After his arrest last year, Amnesty International (AI) called for "urgent action" for the documentary, while a group of national and foreign intellectuals demanded a "fair trial" for the filmmaker.
Elena Varela's case sparked a wave of protests from humanitarian agencies and the guild of documentary filmmakers and Chile and Argentina, but the national press has virtually ignored such protests have had more impact among foreign correspondents in Chile.
Before being sentenced to six months of "protective custody" by Judge Andrea Urbina, "for the prosecution to investigate" the case - as explained on that occasion the judge itself - the civil police seized footage from four years of work that the filmmaker, producer, writer, composer and director of the company "Eye Film" had accumulated for the documentary "Newen Mapuche."
This documentary is based on the Mapuche people's struggle to regain their rights to occupy ancestral lands located in the southern region of Araucania, whose capital is Temuco, 673 kilometers south of Santiago.
Apart of the serious charges of allegedly being financed and intellectual author of two assaults four years ago in two southern towns by former militants of the ultra-left Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), both Amnesty International and groups of Chilean and Argentine intellectuals launched campaigns paths for the immediate recovery of footage of the filmmaker and she had a "fair trial" based on strict respect of fundamental rights.
The documentary said that until now has not recovered the footage seized by police at his home.
Among the intellectuals who came last year in defense and support of the documentary include the National Prize for Literature José Miguel Varas, Silvio Caiozzi filmmakers and Patricio Guzman, as well as National Journalism Awards Faride Zerán and Juan Pablo Cárdenas.
They demanded a "fair trial, presumption of innocence and bail" for the documentary, also asking for his dismissal of the alleged crimes attributed to him and full respect for their copyright. In this regard, in a statement to the press, intellectuals believe that the seizure of film footage of the filmmaker is "a serious violation of freedom of expression, copyright and confidentiality that protects sources a newspaper story. "
itself sent from prison accused three letters to the Minister of Culture, Paulina Urrutia, to demand the return of their documents. In one of these letters, published by the Guild of the documentarians, Elena Varela expressed his innocence in the crimes charged and asked the guard film crews and footage seized during the raid on his residence, also requesting respect for the testimony of all the people she interviewed for the documentary.
( ...) Here I am persecuted, accused and arrested of charges that have not done. What I've really done is to search for memory, reason the struggle of many social groups, and have done with many other professionals in the area audivisual "he explains, adding that since 2004 investigating" the Mapuche conflict with the (business) and the State Forest, which has been very difficult, "said report but not before" the great repression that has been subjected "to the social actors of this chapter of the Chilean reality.
Echoing this cry the whole, the Minister Urrutia, proposed in 2008 by the National Tax Sabas Chahuan, protection measures and protection for the material seized from the director, speaking also respect the right of "confidentiality of the source of information." The minister took the occasion to present to the Prosecutor a technical report by a group of professionals led by the Director of the National Cinetaca, Ignacio Aliana, with the inventory of material seized from the Chilean documentary. Guild
audiovisual sources to EUROLATINNEWS explained that the seized material relates solely to the struggle for their ancestral land rights held for many years the Mapuche of southern Chile and has nothing to do with the alleged crimes by who is charged with the documentarian arrested in 2008 along with six members of his team.
Amid protests by Chilean and Argentine intellectuals, the Executive Director of Amnesty International in Chile, Sergio Laurenti, was launched last year called for "urgent action" for the documentary, as "beyond the criminal charges that may exist, it is unacceptable limitation on freedom of expression and the seizure of the materials that have made the work of Elena Varela documentation was doing. "
Industry sources recalled that the March 17, 2008 French documentary Christopher Cyrill Harrison and Paul Rossi, who also investigated the Mapuche conflict, were arrested and mistreated in Collipulli, in the Araucanía Region, before being released without charge , fleeing in terror of the country have been - say - "Treated as criminals and of belonging to ETA (Basque separatist armed organization)."
same thing happened with the Italian documentary Giuseppe Gabriele and Dario Ioseffi arrested on May 3, 2008 in the area, having pocketed his nose in the Mapuche conflict before being expelled from the territory under the provisions of the Administration of the Araucanía .
"They treated us like terrorists ...", said the Italian.
Remembering these four arrests, the intellectuals who signed in 2008 called for the Chilean documentary, underscore the need to prevent by all means documentary materials "are handled, violated their privacy by third parties and used as research material or evidence the police. "
The Mapuche cry of" justice "is alive in these documentaries.
(EUROLATINNEWS)
VALPARAISO, Chile (EUROLATINNEWS) - A vast international campaign calling for the urgent release of the Chilean documentary filmmaker Elena Varela, arrested a year ago while filming the problematic situation Mapuche people, was opened in Chile with the support of intellectuals and groups in solidarity with Latin America and Europe, mainly France and Belgium.
green light of this campaign emerged in the halls of the University of Valparaiso Arsis, an autumn night this May 2009, shortly after the building itself Elena Varela-hours of freedom that allows your current house arrest before a large audience to explain the details of his arrest on May 7, 2008, after they raided his home in Lake Licanrray (southern Chile) by the civilian police seized more than 300 tapes of the Mapuche.
After being hospitalized for three months in a high security prison charged with "terrorism" and "two terrorist attacks," was transferred to another prison since the beginning of 2009 left the jail to be subjected to a regime of ' house arrest "(from 22H00 to 08H00) in Santiago to await his sentence.
"I am being threatened with a sentence 9 to 15 years in prison for telling the truth, "he said." The strength of the people of the land in the south against logging companies from destroying forests and hydroelectric companies that dry land communities Mapuche took me five years ago to the south to be better informed and better inform them in my documentary on this human drama, "said the documentary to a group of students and academics.
The fact that several Mapuche were arrested in 2007 and accused of being "terrorists" for defending their rights, encouraged her to film the documentary "The strength of the people of the earth", which exposed the "injustice that affects peoples Mapuche, who have suffered a police raid and destruction of their homes and lands. "
"We apply the Law of State Security and the Patriot Act, applied during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-90) - to have recovered 77 000 hectares of forest belonging to the Mapuche people, 'he said in the presence of representatives of Mapuche Indians, who expressed their support for the documentary, stressing "his courage, his great strength, great courage and energy to fight fearlessly against injustice."
"In 2000 there were 30 political prisoners in Chile. Today, in 2009, more than 70 ", he said. He also said the documentary "Newen Mapuche 'includes names of officers and statements on the Mapuche, revealing the character' repressive fascist state", before reporting that has formed "an umbrella organization to support" their cause, which is Mapuche cause, with the participation of university groups and communities national solidarity, Latin America and Europe.
The documentary said she was detained while filming the documentary, which informed him that no crime was charged and subsequently learned of the acusacioens of terrorism and of being linked to two bank robberies committed by extremisrtas left in 2005 in southern Chile.
"I was terrified when they raided my house when I stopped and took my documents, they had about 10 police cars and about 40 men in civilian clothes," he recalls. After his arrest last year, Amnesty International (AI) called for "urgent action" for the documentary, while a group of national and foreign intellectuals demanded a "fair trial" for the filmmaker.
Elena Varela's case sparked a wave of protests from humanitarian agencies and the guild of documentary filmmakers and Chile and Argentina, but the national press has virtually ignored such protests have had more impact among foreign correspondents in Chile.
Before being sentenced to six months of "protective custody" by Judge Andrea Urbina, "for the prosecution to investigate" the case - as explained on that occasion the judge itself - the civil police seized footage from four years of work that the filmmaker, producer, writer, composer and director of the company "Eye Film" had accumulated for the documentary "Newen Mapuche."
This documentary is based on the Mapuche people's struggle to regain their rights to occupy ancestral lands located in the southern region of Araucania, whose capital is Temuco, 673 kilometers south of Santiago.
Apart of the serious charges of allegedly being financed and intellectual author of two assaults four years ago in two southern towns by former militants of the ultra-left Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), both Amnesty International and groups of Chilean and Argentine intellectuals launched campaigns paths for the immediate recovery of footage of the filmmaker and she had a "fair trial" based on strict respect of fundamental rights.
The documentary said that until now has not recovered the footage seized by police at his home.
Among the intellectuals who came last year in defense and support of the documentary include the National Prize for Literature José Miguel Varas, Silvio Caiozzi filmmakers and Patricio Guzman, as well as National Journalism Awards Faride Zerán and Juan Pablo Cárdenas.
They demanded a "fair trial, presumption of innocence and bail" for the documentary, also asking for his dismissal of the alleged crimes attributed to him and full respect for their copyright. In this regard, in a statement to the press, intellectuals believe that the seizure of film footage of the filmmaker is "a serious violation of freedom of expression, copyright and confidentiality that protects sources a newspaper story. "
itself sent from prison accused three letters to the Minister of Culture, Paulina Urrutia, to demand the return of their documents. In one of these letters, published by the Guild of the documentarians, Elena Varela expressed his innocence in the crimes charged and asked the guard film crews and footage seized during the raid on his residence, also requesting respect for the testimony of all the people she interviewed for the documentary.
( ...) Here I am persecuted, accused and arrested of charges that have not done. What I've really done is to search for memory, reason the struggle of many social groups, and have done with many other professionals in the area audivisual "he explains, adding that since 2004 investigating" the Mapuche conflict with the (business) and the State Forest, which has been very difficult, "said report but not before" the great repression that has been subjected "to the social actors of this chapter of the Chilean reality.
Echoing this cry the whole, the Minister Urrutia, proposed in 2008 by the National Tax Sabas Chahuan, protection measures and protection for the material seized from the director, speaking also respect the right of "confidentiality of the source of information." The minister took the occasion to present to the Prosecutor a technical report by a group of professionals led by the Director of the National Cinetaca, Ignacio Aliana, with the inventory of material seized from the Chilean documentary. Guild
audiovisual sources to EUROLATINNEWS explained that the seized material relates solely to the struggle for their ancestral land rights held for many years the Mapuche of southern Chile and has nothing to do with the alleged crimes by who is charged with the documentarian arrested in 2008 along with six members of his team.
Amid protests by Chilean and Argentine intellectuals, the Executive Director of Amnesty International in Chile, Sergio Laurenti, was launched last year called for "urgent action" for the documentary, as "beyond the criminal charges that may exist, it is unacceptable limitation on freedom of expression and the seizure of the materials that have made the work of Elena Varela documentation was doing. "
Industry sources recalled that the March 17, 2008 French documentary Christopher Cyrill Harrison and Paul Rossi, who also investigated the Mapuche conflict, were arrested and mistreated in Collipulli, in the Araucanía Region, before being released without charge , fleeing in terror of the country have been - say - "Treated as criminals and of belonging to ETA (Basque separatist armed organization)."
same thing happened with the Italian documentary Giuseppe Gabriele and Dario Ioseffi arrested on May 3, 2008 in the area, having pocketed his nose in the Mapuche conflict before being expelled from the territory under the provisions of the Administration of the Araucanía .
"They treated us like terrorists ...", said the Italian.
Remembering these four arrests, the intellectuals who signed in 2008 called for the Chilean documentary, underscore the need to prevent by all means documentary materials "are handled, violated their privacy by third parties and used as research material or evidence the police. "
The Mapuche cry of" justice "is alive in these documentaries.
(EUROLATINNEWS)
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