Amnesty Int’l leader criticizes Chile

The head of Amnesty International criticized Chile’s government for not doing enough to curb discrimination in the post-Pinochet era:

Concluding a one-week visit to Chile on Friday, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Irene Khan issued an assessment of the human rights situation in the country and a set of recommendations addressed to the Chilean government.

"Despite some positive steps taken by successive democratic governments in the last 18 years, Chile’s record on human rights leaves much room for improvement," said Ms. Khan.

"We call on President Bachelet to use the remaining 17 months of her time in office to create a decisive and lasting legacy of human rights reform."

During her visit, Khan met with indigenous rights activists including leaders of the Mapuche community. “Indigenous peoples are severely discriminated and marginalized in Chile,” observed Khan who also called for the government to pass laws protecting indigenous peoples.

As we’ve noted before, Chile’s government has come under fire for its supposedly unjust repression of the Mapuches. In April, Bachelet enacted a new policy for Chile’s indigenous tribes though some have alleged that the plans have so far come up short.

Image- soitu.es (Activists protest last month in favor of indigenous rights)
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Amnesty International, UNPO, Mapuexpress