More than 1,000 people have been injured and hundreds more have lost sight, in whole or in part, of police firing protesters with non-lethal rattle ammunition. Several protesters say they were beaten in connection with the arrests. Women tell of sexual abuse in prison when police forced them to undress and then examined their bodies, including abdomen.

26 deaths are being investigated

More than 15,000 protesters have been detained during the protests. 26 deaths during the protests are being investigated by prosecutors.

Not only people who participated in the protests testify about abuse. Among the hundreds of reports against the Chile Police Corps that HRW reviewed are also several made by people who just happened to be nearby, and have been damaged by rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons.

Calls for police reform

"We do not think that these are isolated cases," says HRW South America Chief José Miguel Vivanco. "The police force has committed serious human rights abuses, including abuse and sexual violence," he continues.

HRW requests Chile's President Sebastián Piñera to immediately begin a reform of the country's national police force Carabineros.

Mostly quiet protests

The protests in otherwise relatively stable Chile began on October 18, initially aimed at raising prices in public transport. But the unrest spread from the capital Santiago and into the country and the protests soon came to deal with deep economic gaps, high living costs, poor pensions and corruption.

The demonstrations have largely been quiet, but this fact has been partially overshadowed by the violence expressed by smaller groups of protesters. According to HRW's report, hundreds of policemen have been injured during the unrest, mainly by stones and homemade fire bombs.