Chile: heavy sentence for police after the murder of a young Mapuche in 2018
The portrait of Camilo Catrillanca brandished by demonstrators in the streets of Santiago on November 19, 2018. The young Mapuche had been killed by a bullet in the neck by a police commando.
AFP - MARTIN BERNETTI
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In Chile, it is the judicial outcome of a case that has highlighted the police violence against the Mapuche people, the main indigenous people of the country.
Seven police officers or former police officers, as well as a lawyer, were sentenced for the murder at the end of 2018 of a young Mapuche youth, in southern Chile.
The author of the shootings was even sentenced to 16 years in prison.
A sentence of unprecedented severity for nearly 20 years in Chile in a case of human rights violations.
Publicity
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With our correspondent in Santiago
,
Justine Fontaine
In November 2018,
Camilo Catrillanca
, 24, was
driving
home on his tractor when he was shot in the neck by a police commando.
A teenager who was with him was injured.
At first, the riflemen and the government claim that there was an exchange of fire.
An assertion quickly contradicted by the investigation.
The young Mapuche was unarmed, and the police attempted to destroy the videos of the incident.
For a part of public opinion, indignant, the police and the authorities have deliberately lied to hide a new case of police violence against Mapuche.
Sixteen years in prison
This Thursday, after long months of trial, a court in the south of the country finally sentenced the author of the shootings to 16 years in prison for homicide and attempted homicide.
A sentence of unprecedented severity for more than 20 years in a case of violations of human rights.
Seven other people were convicted of obstruction of justice.
But the family of the young man would have liked to also be prosecuted high-ranking officials in the police.
She denounces the still very recent threats from the police against Camilo Catrillanca's widow and daughter.
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To read: Chile: the police chief sacked after the death of a young Mapuche
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Chile
Human rights