[mobglob-discuss] Fwd: URGENT! Mapuche Political prisoners need your help!

Tue Apr 18 16:59:54 PDT 2006

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	URGENT! Mapuche Political prisoners need your help!
Date: 	Tue, 18 Apr 2006 16:53:45 -0400 (EDT)
From: 	reckless ruthless <tdotreckless at yahoo.ca>
To: 	graemeb at 3web.com

URGENT:  MAPUCHE POLITICAL PRISONERS IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER 35 DAYS 
ON HUNGER STRIKE

Please take a moment to read through this email, as it could help save 
the lives of these innocent young indigenous leaders, wrongfully 
incarcerated in Chile.

FIRST:  Below is a PETITION which we are asking that you:
       -COPY AND PASTE INTO A NEW EMAIL
       -SIGN IT WITH YOUR NAME
       -SEND IT OFF TO ALL YOUR CONTACTS
(EVERY 10^TH PERSON TO SIGN SHOULD CARBON COPY IT BACK TO:  
RUKATUN at YAHOO.COM.AR 
<http://ca.f543.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=RUKATUN@YAHOO.COM.AR>)  
*******THIS PETETION NEEDS TO CIRCULATE FAST!********

SECOND:  It would also be very helpful if you write a similar letter, or 
even use the petition letter below, and send it signed only by you to:

josemiguelcruz at chile.ca 
<http://ca.f543.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=josemiguelcruz@chile.ca> 
(Jose Miguel Cruz - Ambassador to Chile in Canada)
aduncker at chile.ca 
<http://ca.f543.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=aduncker@chile.ca> (Srta. 
Annemarie Duncker - Third Secretary)
etapia at chile.ca 
<http://ca.f543.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=etapia@chile.ca> (Sr. 
Eduardo Tapia - Ministro Consejero)
jarellano at chile.ca 
<http://ca.f543.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=jarellano@chile.ca> (Sr. 
Jose Santiago Arellano Marin - Agregado Científico, de Prensa y Cultural)
vzarzar at chile.ca 
<http://ca.f543.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=vzarzar@chile.ca> (Sra. 
Verónica Zarzar -- Consular Secretary)
consulate at congechiletoronto.com 
<http://mail.yahoo.com/config/login?/_javascript:PopMail%28%29> (Sr. 
Ricardo Plaza Ducó-General Consul to Chile in Toronto)

THIRD:  This Friday at 12 NOON we will be meeting outside the Chilean 
Consulate in Toronto at Young and Bloor to demand justice for the 
Mapuche Political Prisoners and to present the petetition.  PLEASE COME 
AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!   ALL MEDIA COVERAGE IS WELCOME!

FOURTH:  If you would like to make a much needed financial contribution 
toward actions taking place in Chile in support of the Mapuche Political 
Prisoners, please contact Salvador at rukatun at yahoo.com.ar 
<http://ca.f543.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=rukatun@yahoo.com.ar>.

THANK YOU!!!

- Mapuche and Campesino Front of Resistance

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Brief synopsis of the situation (SKIP TO GET TO THE PETITION):

The Mapuche nation is native to southern Argentina and Chile.  They, 
like many other indigenous peoples, have suffered near extermination 
after some
500 years of colonization and genocide.

Today in Chile, despite the media's portrayal of the newly elected 
Government as progressive and humanitarian, its treatment of the Mapuche
people is still extremely racist and repressive - using outdated laws 
from the Pinochet dictatorship era exclusively to condemn Mapuche leaders.

There are currently 13 Mapuche political prisoners wrongly sentenced for 
up to 10 years in prison for defending what land they have left from the 
hands of Forestry corporations who destroy land, communities and human 
lives for the sake of profits.

Today, Monday April 17^th marks the 35th day of a hunger strike that 4 
Mapuche political prisoners in Southern Chile have initiated to demand the
re-evaluation of their sentence and the freedom of all Mapuche political 
prisoners.

These individuals - Patricia Troncoso, Juan Marileo, Jaime Marileo and 
Juan Huenulao - are currently in critical condition and we fear that their
desperate plea for justice may end in indifference and death as has 
already happened in similar situations in the past.  So far the Chilean 
government has turned a blind eye and taken no position on this matter.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE PETITION (COPY IT, PASTE IT, SIGN IT AND SEND IT TO ALL YOUR 
CONTACTS!!!)

Toronto, Canada - 17^th of April 2006

Mr. Jose Miguel Cruz
Ambassador to Chile in Canada

On behalf of Canada, I want to express my deepest concern for the 
critical condition in which members of the Mapuche Political Prisoners 
currently find themselves:  on a hunger strike and secluded in the jail 
of Angol, Chile.

For your information, they are:
- Patricia Troncoso
- Juan Huenulao
- Patricio Marileo
- Jaime Marileo

After 35 days on hunger strike and with a new government proclaiming to 
be progressive, they still have not received an answer to their fair 
demands.  For your information, those demands are:
-  The revision of the sentence to 10 years and a day in prison, plus 
the indemnification payment of $423,000,000 pesos to Mininco Forestry 
Corp., for the charge of "Terrorist arson at the Poluco Pidenco Property".
-  The release of all Mapuche political prisoners.

It must be stressed that these individuals were charged under the 
Anti-Terrorist Law based on the anti-democratic Military Constitution of 
1980 under the Pinochet dictatorship.  This law allowed the prosecution 
to present "Unidentified Witnesses" to anonymously testify against the 
defendants, who were left utterly powerless.  From an international 
perspective, it is inconceivable that such a repressive anti-democratic 
law be used under a Socialist Democratic government in order to condemn 
as terrorists a group of indigenous political activists demanding better 
living conditions and political rights.  It should be noted that within 
Chile this law has been used exclusively against indigenous peoples.

It is also inconceivable that an Anti-Terrorist Act be used to protect 
the _profits_ of corporations, rather than the very lives of citizens 
for which it was meant.  The Mapuche Political Prisoners never presented 
a threat to any human life, nor were there firearms of any kind found on 
or traced to them.

I ask that you please communicate to the Government of Chile our deepest 
concern for the Mapuche Political Prisoners. 

 From Canada, we support the fair demands of the political prisoners on 
hunger strike.
We demand the review of the political judgment issued by the Chilean 
Courts of Justice.
We demand the freedom of the Mapuche Political Prisoners.

The Chilean Government will be held fully responsible if death or 
critical damage from starvation should befall any of these individuals.

Sincerely,

1.  Shoja Rahi, Toronto
2.  Salvador Gallegos, Toronto
3.  Ines Gallegos, Vancouver
4.  Ana Maria Santinoli, Toronto
5.  Juan Luis Gallegos, Toronto
6.  Laura Shilliday, OCAP Toronto
 7.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enrich your life at *Yahoo! Canada Finance* <http://finance.yahoo.ca>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.resist.ca/pipermail/mobglob-discuss/attachments/20060418/569a746a/attachment.html>