Manuel Guerra, one of Chile's capital prosecutors, Santiago, said on Wednesday (November 6th) that he will seek permission to investigate 14 police officers accused of torturing protesters to quell the protest movement who has shaken the country for almost three weeks. The investigation concerns two separate incidents that occurred during the nine days during which a state of emergency, as well as a curfew, was in force in the capital last month.
A spokesman for Manuel Guerra told Reuters that one of the incidents involved 12 policemen from a residential suburb of Santiago where protesters defied the curfew by organizing massive but generally peaceful protests. He added that the other incident was linked to alleged acts of brutality by two policemen against a young man who was handcuffed.
The demonstrations, provoked by the rise in the price of the tickets which fueled the discontent over the high cost of living and economic inequalities, have been more peaceful in recent days. A rally was held on Wednesday near a large shopping center in one of Santiago's most exclusive neighborhoods.
At least 23 dead
At least 23 people have been killed, and 1,659 protesters and 800 policemen injured since the beginning of the movement, which constitutes the great crisis in Chile since the end of Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship in 1990. More than 7,000 people have been killed placed in detention.
President Sebastian Piñera said Thursday he is committed to "full respect for human rights, at all times and in all circumstances". Speaking from the presidential palace, the center-right leader promised that there would be no clemency for police and soldiers who would be found guilty of abuse.
A UN delegation sent by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, is currently conducting interviews with alleged victims of the crackdown.
With Reuters